Heterogeneous metal
implants have been applied in clinical treatments
of skeletal wounds, but their low antibacterial properties and the
possibility of a release of metal ions may have harmful influences
on the human body. Therefore, a polymer implant with low cost, high
safety, an elastic modulus similar to that of human bone, and a good
antibacterial property must be produced for orthopedic treatments.
In this study, the surface of a 3D-printed polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
disk was grown with ZnO/TiO
2
rodlike arrays using a chemical
bath deposition. X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron
microscopy images showed that TiO
2
/ZnO rodlike arrays were
deposited onto the PEEK substrate. With the direct absorption of antibiotic
agents onto the surface of TiO
2
/ZnO/PEEK samples, their
antibacterial performances greater than the values of minimum inhibitory
concentration required to inhibit the growth of 90% of
Escherichia
coli
(
E. coli
) and
Staphylococcus
aureus
(
S. aureus
) remained for around 10
days. The concentration of Zn
2+
ions in a buffer solution
is reduced with the coating of a TiO
2
layer on a ZnO rodlike
array. The sample with absorption from a mixture containing ampicillin
and vancomycin salts with a weight ratio of 1:1 had the best inhibitory
effect on the growth of
E. coli
and
S. aureus
.