Preparation of a beta-tricalcium phosphate nanocoating and its protein adsorption behaviour by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation technique

Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) nanocoatings, which can be analysed using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation technique (QCM-D), were fabricated on a gold surface by electrophoretic deposition. The influences of electric field intensity and electrophoresis time were investigated. The adsorption behaviours of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LSZ) on Au and β-TCP surfaces were observed in real time by QCM-D. The homogeneous β-TCP nanocoating with moderately sized particles on gold surface was fabricated at 25V/cm for 5min, and it met the requirements for the QCM-D experiment. The adsorption behaviour of BSA was different from that of LSZ, which was caused by the differences of protein properties. The adsorption quantity of BSA on a β-TCP surface was higher than that on a gold surface. However, the adsorption amount of LSZ on a β-TCP surface was lower than that on a gold surface. The electrostatic force was the major factor affecting the adsorption quantities of BSA and LSZ on Au and β-TCP surfaces based on the investigation of various factors. The findings reported here will be useful for understanding the mechanism of the interaction between biomaterials and proteins.