Innovative Zr-Cu-Ag thin film metallic glass deposed by magnetron PVD sputtering for antibacterial applications

Tuning the antimicrobial behaviour of Cu85Zr15 thin films in “wet” and “dry” conditions through structural modifications

“…In our experiments, the LB broth contains 5 g/L of NaCl (0.141 mol/L of Cl -), much higher than 0.01mol/L, and therefore it favours the release of Cu ions. Pitting and cracking similar to the ones shown in Figure 10 can be found in the literature as a sign of corrosion due to the presence of chlorine salts in Cu-based thin films [3,53]. Considering the available literature, and our own antimicrobial results, it seems likely that the changes in antimicrobial properties between "dry" and "wet" conditions have been caused by a higher degradation of the film, induced by the increase in NaCl during the evaporation of the LB broth.…”

“…pitting) of the films could be noticed in the 3HT and 5RT films for the dry conditions (not shown in the images). The results of Bouala et al [3] and Etiemble et al [53] suggest that chloride-containing media, such as the culture broth used for this research, can increase the flow of Cu ions into the deposited bacteria. This process can only take place when the anodic potential is higher than the equilibrium potential of Cu/Cu +2 [54].…”

Al2O3–TiO2 composite coatings with enhanced anticorrosion properties for 316L stainless steel

“…RF magnetron sputtering, with low equipment cost, is an industrial-scale method to obtain highly dense and uniform films with relatively low processing temperature, good homogeneity, and high deposition rate. [13,14] These advantages make RF magnetron sputtering one of the most appropriate technologies for the preparation of ceramic coatings.…”

Exceptional fracture resistance of ultrathin metallic glass films due to an intrinsic size effect

“…Amorphous metallic alloys, which are commonly called metallic glasses (MGs), possess a number of outstanding properties such as a high elastic limit and strength 1–3 , good corrosion and wear resistance 4–6 , excellent diffusion barrier properties 7,8 , as well as good biocompatibility or even antimicrobial effect 9–11 . However, the application of MGs as structural or functional materials is hindered due to their intrinsic brittleness which is manifested by a catastrophic fracture through propagation of highly localized shear deformation within shear bands 2,3 .…”