Analysis of the Anticorrosion Performance and Antibacterial Efficacy of Ti-Based Ceramic Coatings for Biomedical Applications

The anticorrosion and wear resistance, in addition to the biocompatibility are among the most important considerations in the selection of biomaterials for implants (prosthesis). It is toward this goal that titanium-based ceramic coatings were fabricated by a magnetron sputtering method. Surface characteristics, microstructures, anticorrosion behavior, calcium-phosphorus (Ca-P) layer ability formation, and antibacterial adhesion resistance were systematically investigated. Obtained results showed superior anticorrosion resistance in blood plasma of specimen coated with TiO2 (the corrosion current density (Icorr) = 0.02 & mu;A/cm2) when compared to the specimen coated with TiN (Icorr = 0.81 & mu;A/cm2). Moreover, the in vitro bioactivity test results carried out in Hank's solution and the anti-adhesion resistance against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, revealed a higher performance of the TiO2 surface when compared to TiN surface. The optimum performances (i.e., 7.3 .103 CFU/cm2 versus S. aureus and 1.13 .103 CFU/cm2 versus E. coli) were shown for TiO2 (O2 = 20%) coating characterized by fine grain microstructure, high wettability angle, and low defects density.

Automated summary

The selection of biomaterials for implants considers anticorrosion and wear resistance, as well as biocompatibility. In this study, titanium-based ceramic coatings were fabricated using magnetron sputtering method, and their surface characteristics, microstructures, anticorrosion behavior, calcium-phosphorus layer formation ability, and antibacterial adhesion resistance were investigated. The results showed that the TiO2 coating exhibited superior anticorrosion resistance and better performance in terms of bioactivity and antibacterial adhesion resistance compared to the TiN coating.