Manipulation of biomaterials including biomedical polymers/ceramics, collides, cells, proteins and enzymes using electrophoresis deposition (EPD) method is the focus of this presentation.

The deposited layers by EPD can be highly homogeneous with microstructural uniformity. Their thickness is controllable and the coating can be applied in complex three-dimensional (3D) structures such as the 3D-printed scaffolds produced for tissue engineering applications.  

Three characteristics of EPD make this technique very attractive for different biomedical applications: 1) high adaptability, 2) low cost and simple experimental set up and procedure, and 3) scaling up capability.

The interest in the general applications of EPD in material processing has been extensively increased during the last decade, with emphasis on employing EPD for nanomaterials and biomaterials.

Coating of hydroxyapatite (HA) Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂ on Titanium substrate by Ducheyne et al. in 1986 can be considered as an initial step toward employment of EPD in biomaterial processing. Since then, there were valuable attempts for developing various nanocomposite coatings on biomedical constructs including 3D porous structures. Most of these constructs were originally designed for orthopaedic applications.

Recent expansion of the EPD biomedical application includes improvements in tissue engineering scaffolds, biosensors, drug delivery systems and different functional thin films. The use of EPD to produce biofilms is being progressively investigated recently.

EPD as an advanced electric field-assisted deposition method can now be employed for coating of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), bioactive particles, and biological objects such as proteins on biomedical constructs and devices.

This talk will present a summary of the relevant works during the last decade describing the use of EPD in biomaterial processing and biomedical applications.