Electrodeposition of alginic acid and composite films

Electrodeposition method has been developed for the fabrication of alginic acid films. The deposition yield has been studied using a quartz crystal microbalance. The co-deposition of alginic acid, hydroxyapatite (HA), TiO2 and chitosan resulted in the fabrication of novel nanocomposite films. Deposit composition can be varied by the variation of HA and TiO2 concentration in the solutions. The method enabled the formation of films of different thickness in the range of 0.1-3 mu m. Obtained films were studied by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Composite films showed corrosion protection of shape memory alloy substrates in Ringer's physiological solutions. The mechanism of deposition is discussed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.