Abstract In this study, copper-doped porous silica particles were synthesized for drug release control an‎d applied as coatings on stainless steel surfaces with the help of the biocompatible polymer chitosan. The coating was performed by the electrophoretic method, an‎d samples were prepared with different ratios of silica-copper powder (0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, an‎d 0.5 g) an‎d a fixed amount of 0.3 g of chitosan. In this study, in order to investigate the effect of the number of silica-copper nanoparticles on biological properties an‎d drug delivery, the amount of chitosan was considered as a fixed polymer matrix phase so that the changes observed only by nanoparticles could be investigated an‎d compared. The selec‎ted values were adjusted based on previous studies on similar compounds, as well as the ability to suspend an‎d stabilize in electrophoretic solution; In such a way that on the one han‎d, no accumulation of nanoparticles occurs in the coating, an‎d on the other han‎d, noticeable changes in the performance of the coatings can be examined. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the number of silica-copper nanoparticles on the biological properties an‎d drug release performance of the coatings. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) an‎d energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) tests were used to eva‎luate the surface structure an‎d elemental composition. The results of FE-SEM images showed that with increasing the amount of silica-copper, the surface morphology of the coatings became more porous an‎d heterogeneous, an‎d more sedimentary structures were observed under conditions of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). EDS analyses also indicated an increase in the intensity of calcium an‎d phosphorus elements in samples containing silica-copper, which indicates higher bioactivity of these coatings. In contrast, in PBS solution, samples containing silica-copper showed a greater decrease in stability, which was confirmed by increased surface degradation an‎d a decrease in elemental peaks. Drug loading an‎d release experiments in PBS an‎d SBF media also showed that all samples had a two-stage release, including an initial rapid release an‎d then a slow release. Samples containing silica-copper nanoparticles, especially the sample with a dose of 0.3 g, showed the highest drug loading capacity an‎d a slower an‎d more uniform release compared to the sample without nanoparticles. Overall, the results of this study showed that the silica-copper/chitosan nanocomposite can be targeted to control the biodegradability, bioactivity, an‎d drug release behavior by adjusting the number of nanoparticles an‎d can be considered a suitable option in drug delivery an‎d tissue engineering applications, especially in the production of bioactive an‎d degradable coatings.

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