Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-8-2026

Department

Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Department of Biomedical Engineering

Abstract

Bioactive surface modification of degradable zinc (Zn) vascular implants is essential for controlling biodegradation and supporting vascular healing. Here, we describe the fabrication of polydopamine coating (PDA-Cu) containing up to ∼0.8 wt % Cu ions on Zn substrates using an immersion-assisted mussel-inspired polymerization strategy. The coating is composed of densely packed PDA-Cu nanospheres with diameters of ∼130-170 nm, exhibiting an even distribution of Cu ions within the PDA matrix via Cu-catechol coordination. Thirty-day leaching tests confirmed a steady release of 0.01-0.04 ppm of Cu ions per 5 days from Zn/PDA-Cu samples in Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS). In vitro nitric oxide (NO) assay demonstrated enhanced catalytic NO generation in 1 mM SNAP (S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine) solution. Additionally, the PDA-Cu coating reduced the Zn corrosion rate from ∼0.8 mm/year to ∼0.4 mm/year and increased its corrosion resistance in HBSS.

Publisher's Statement

© 2026 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialsau.6c00093

Publication Title

ACS materials Au

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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