Properties of chitosan/CuNPs coatings electrophoretically deposited on TiO2 nanotubular oxide layer of Ti13Zr13Nb alloy

•Chitosan–nanocopper coatings on nanotubular TiO2 are adherent to the Ti alloy.•An addition of the Polysorbate 20 reduced the agglomeration of CuNPs.•The presence of Polysorbate 20 improved adhesion and wettability of the coatings. Coatings based on chitosan/CuNPs (chit/CuNPs) were obtained by a one-step electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on nanotubular oxide layer of Ti13Zr13Nb alloy. The deposition was carried out for 1 min applying voltages of 10 and 20 V with and without the addition of dispersing agent (Polysorbate 20) to the suspension. The coatings obtained for the lower voltage were more uniform than for the higher voltage. By adding a dispersing agent, the agglomeration of copper nanoparticles was reduced, resulting in better adhesion of the coating to the metallic substrate, good corrosion resistance and improved wettability.