Abstract: Recently, zinc and its alloys are proposed as a new generation of biodegradable metal for medical implant. Particularly, porous Zn-based scaffolds with 3D interconnected pore structure were considered as promising candidates for bone tissue engineering scaffold. In order to improve the cytocompatibility of porous Zn scaffold, a bioactive Mg-P coating was firstly prepared on the surface of porous pure Zn scaffold utilizing a chemical conversion method. The morphology, thickness, composition and bonding force of the Mg-P coating were characterized, and the effect of the Mg-P coating on the degradation behavior and biocompatibility of the porous pure Zn scaffold were systematically studied. The results showed that the Mg-P coating consisted of tiny strip-like Mg-P grains which stack with a flower-like orientation. The thickness of the Mg-P coating was about 10 μm and the bonding force was good. The Mg-P coated scaffold presents significantly decreased Zn2+ releasing rate and obviously improved the cytocompatibility, which demonstrates great potential in bone tissue engineering application.

Key words: bone tissue engineering, biodegradable porous Zn scaffold, bioactive coating