Abstract
Introduction The selection of functionalized implant coatings is a complex multi-criteria decision-making problem because biological, engineering, technological, and implementation-readiness indicators are heterogeneous and are frequently evaluated manually. This study proposes an automated and explainable computational decision-support framework for coating assessment and ranking. Methods The framework integrates data preprocessing, indicator normalization, weighted scoring, implementation-readiness assessment, sensitivity analysis, explainable classification, and visualization. Biological effectiveness, engineering and operational reliability, and manufacturability and scalability were used as the three evaluation domains. Published experimental data from 2015 to 2025 on titanium oxide nanostructures, hydrogel coatings, hybrid nanocomposites, and bioactive surface modifications were used for validation. Results The framework generated reproducible domain scores, integral performance scores, implementation classes, and explainable rankings. TiO₂-Sr, Grad-Ti, and TiO₂-NT achieved the highest scores because of their balanced biological performance, engineering reliability, sterilization compatibility, and technological scalability. The ranking remained stable under variations in weighting factors. Discussion The proposed framework transforms heterogeneous biomedical data into a transparent and reproducible decision-support workflow. It can serve as the computational core of future biomedical material-selection platforms and support preliminary coating screening, technology-readiness evaluation, and data-driven engineering decisions.