Antibacterial Properties of TiAgN and ZrAgN Thin Film Coated by Physical Vapor Deposition for Medical Applications

Abstract

We deposited TiAgN and ZrAgN nanocomposite coatings on pure Titanium specimens, by using arc ion plating (AIP) with single alloy targets. TiAg ZrAg alloy targets of 5 wt.%, 10 wt.% silver content by vacuum arc remelting (VAR), followed by homogenization for 2 hours at 1,100℃ in non-active Ar gas atmosphere and characterized these samples for morphology and chemical composition. We investigated the biocompatibility of TiAg and ZrAg alloys by examining the proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells by MTT test assay, after culturing the cells (4×10 4 cells/cm 2 ) for 24 hours;and exploring the antibacterial properties of thin films by culturing Streptococus Mutans (KCTC3065), using paper disk techniques. Our results showed no cytotoxic effects in any of the specimens, but the antibacterial effects against Streptococus Mutans appeared only in the 10 wt.% silver content specimens.

Vapor-Deposited Biointerfaces and Bacteria: An Evolving Conversation

“…Silver has also been employed with other compounds using vapor deposition to fabricate composite materials. Silver coatings on titanium, titanium oxide, and zirconium commonly have yielded greater antimicrobial activity than that of the metals and metal oxides alone while maintaining the physical strength. − Silver has also been layered with SiO x under atmospheric pressure conditions to reduce manufacturing cost and integrated with highly smooth zirconia to improve antibacterial implant durability …”