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Coatings
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Surface Engineering of Bone Implants
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Surface Engineering of Bone Implants

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Coatings for Biomedicine and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 3813

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Richard Drevet

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Moulin de la Housse Campus, BP 1039, CEDEX, 51687 Reims, France
Interests: electrochemistry; PVD; CVD; biomaterials; coatings; calcium phosphate; oxides; bioglass; bone implants; corrosion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Hicham Benhayoune

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut de Thermique, Mécanique et Matériaux (ITheMM), Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA), Reims, France
Interests: electrochemical deposition; electrophoretic deposition; biomaterials; prosthetic coatings; calcium phosphates; bioactive glasses; bone substitutes; electron microscopy; X-ray microanalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The continuous aging of the worldwide population requires the development of innovative bone implants with the ability to repair or replace the functions of bone tissue. Implanted materials need specific biological, chemical, and mechanical surface properties for appropriate interactions with the body environment. Bone implants can be made of biocompatible metal, polymer, bioglass, or ceramic materials or a composite of these materials. Surface engineering, either by coating or surface treatment, is used to improve their surface properties, e.g., their bioactivity, biomechanical compatibility, topography, wettability, corrosion behavior, bone cell adhesion and growth, protein adsorption, etc. Relevant modern developments also include surface engineering that provides anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to the surface of bone implants.

Within this framework, this Special Issue aims to present the latest developments in this field.

Research topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Advanced biomaterials;
  • Bioactive thin films and coatings;
  • Hard tissue repair and regeneration;
  • The functionalization of biomaterials;
  • Bone implants with enhanced biological properties;
  • Bone implants with enhanced mechanical properties.

Dr. Richard Drevet
Prof. Hicham Benhayoune
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surface
  • bone implant
  • bioactivity
  • biocompatibility
  • biomaterials
  • hard tissue repair
  • skeleton
  • biomedical

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 5297 KB  
Article
Self-Healing Coating with Ultrasound-Triggered On-Demand Osthole Release for Magnesium-Based Orthopedic Implants
by Yue Fan, Shiyu Jin, Yumeng Dong, Feiyang Wang, Junyan Yao, Juyi Yang, Lu Zhang, Shuyi Wang, Cheng Wang, Jing Bai, Feng Xue, Chenglin Chu, Junqing Ma, Yanbin Zhao and Paul K. Chu
Coatings 2026, 16(4), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040499 - 20 Apr 2026
Viewed by 358
Abstract
Magnesium alloys exhibit promising application prospects in medical orthopedic implants. However, their practical applications are limited by rapid corrosion, suboptimal osseointegration, and implant-related infections. Although conventional drug-eluting polymer coatings can provide various biological functions, the uncontrolled drug release often compromises long-term therapeutic efficacy. [...] Read more.
Magnesium alloys exhibit promising application prospects in medical orthopedic implants. However, their practical applications are limited by rapid corrosion, suboptimal osseointegration, and implant-related infections. Although conventional drug-eluting polymer coatings can provide various biological functions, the uncontrolled drug release often compromises long-term therapeutic efficacy. In this study, a self-healing Mg-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)@OHF coating is designed and prepared on WE43 Mg by spin coating to achieve ultrasound-triggered release of osthole. OHF consists of osthole-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSs) modified with Pluronic F127. Drug release studies show that the nanocapsules respond to ultrasound stimulation, with the cumulative release increasing from 39.94% to 75.93% after 7 days. Furthermore, the coating demonstrates intrinsic self-healing capacity upon thermal treatment at 50 °C. Electrochemical and immersion tests reveal that the composite coating provides good barrier protection for the WE43 Mg alloy, evidenced by a decrease in corrosion current density from 2.04 × 10−6 to 5.94 × 10−7 A/cm2. In vitro biological assays confirm the antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, as well as the ability to promote osteogenic differentiation. The results reveal a surface modification strategy that combines self-healing, anticorrosion, and on-demand drug release, offering a promising approach for advanced orthopedic implants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Engineering of Bone Implants)
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19 pages, 4346 KB  
Article
In Vitro Osteogenic and Angiogenic Potential of 3D-Printed nHA/PCL Scaffolds Functionalized with a Photo-Crosslinked CSMA Hydrogel–Exosome Composite Coating
by Yujie Liu, Wen Dong, Chen Hu, Lili Yu, Di Yan, Wenjing Fu, Yongqing Huang and Jian Ma
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020201 - 5 Feb 2026
Viewed by 882
Abstract
This study aimed to develop and characterize novel 3D-printed chitosan methacryloyl (CSMA) hydrogel-functionalized nano-hydroxyapatite/polycaprolactone (nHA/PCL) scaffolds for controlled release of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-exosomes (BMSC-Exos), with the objective of enhancing osteogenic and angiogenic capabilities in vitro. We fabricated a biomimetic, highly porous [...] Read more.
This study aimed to develop and characterize novel 3D-printed chitosan methacryloyl (CSMA) hydrogel-functionalized nano-hydroxyapatite/polycaprolactone (nHA/PCL) scaffolds for controlled release of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-exosomes (BMSC-Exos), with the objective of enhancing osteogenic and angiogenic capabilities in vitro. We fabricated a biomimetic, highly porous scaffold composed of nHA/PCL using high-temperature fused deposition modeling. An interfacial bioactive layer was formed via ultraviolet-induced crosslinking of CSMA hydrogel on the scaffold and loaded bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-exosomes. We characterized the composite scaffold to evaluate its physicochemical properties, cytocompatibility, cell migration ability, osteogenic capacity, and angiogenic capacity. The 3D-printed 20%nHA/PCL scaffold has a porosity of approximately 75%, with its surface containing four elements: carbon, oxygen, calcium, and phosphorus. The compressive strength is (13.76 ± 1.33) MPa. The CSMA hydrogel exhibits good injectability and degrades slowly over time. Exosomes with a negative charge are released slowly within the extracellular matrix hydrogel. The contact angle of the scaffold material is below 90 degrees, and the hemolysis rate is below 5%. In vitro assays demonstrated that the nHA/PCL-CSMA-Exos composite exhibited excellent biocompatibility, markedly enhanced cell proliferation and migration, and robust pro-angiogenic and osteogenic activity. The fabricated nHA/PCL-CSMA-Exos composite scaffolds demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and cell migration ability, promoting angiogenesis, bone tissue formation and mineralization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Engineering of Bone Implants)
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Review

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29 pages, 2541 KB  
Review
Recent Advances in pH-Responsive Coatings for Orthopedic and Dental Implants: Tackling Infection and Inflammation and Enhancing Bone Regeneration
by Reyhaneh Gholami, Naser Valipour Motlagh, Zahra Yousefi, Fahimeh Gholami, Joseph J. Richardson, Behnam Akhavan, Vahid Adibnia and Vi Khanh Truong
Coatings 2025, 15(12), 1471; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15121471 - 12 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1811
Abstract
Bone is a structurally complex and dynamic tissue that plays a crucial role in mobility and skeletal stability. However, conditions such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, trauma-induced fractures, infections, and malignancies often necessitate the use of orthopedic and dental implants. Despite significant progress in implant [...] Read more.
Bone is a structurally complex and dynamic tissue that plays a crucial role in mobility and skeletal stability. However, conditions such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, trauma-induced fractures, infections, and malignancies often necessitate the use of orthopedic and dental implants. Despite significant progress in implant biomaterials, challenges such as bacterial infection, inflammation, and loosening continue to compromise implant longevity, frequently leading to revision surgeries and extended recovery times. Smart coatings have emerged as a next-generation solution to these problems by providing on-demand, localized therapeutic responses to microenvironmental changes around implants and promoting bone regeneration. Such coatings can minimize antibiotic resistance by enabling controlled, stimulus-triggered drug release. Although the idea of using pH-sensitivity as a tool to make smart coatings is not a new thought, there are no options currently good enough to enter clinical studies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in pH-sensitive polymers, hybrid composites, porous architectures, and bioactive linkers designed to dynamically respond to pathological pH variations at implant sites. By investigating the mechanisms of action, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, and roles in bone regeneration, it is shown that the ability to provide time-dependent drug release for both short-term and long-term infections, as well as keeping the environment welcoming to the bone cell growth and replacement, is not an easy goal to reach, even with a fully biocompatable, non-toxic, and semi-biodegradable (one that releases the drug, but does not fade away) coating material compound. Reviewing all available options, including their functions and failures, finally, emerging trends, translational barriers, and future opportunities for clinical implementation are highlighted, underscoring the transformative potential of bioresponsive coatings in orthopedic and dental implant technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Engineering of Bone Implants)
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