Porous Coatings Containing Copper and Phosphorus Obtained by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation of Titanium

Abstract

To fabricate porous copper coatings on titanium, we used the process of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) with voltage control. For all experiments, the three-phase step-up transformer with six-diode Graetz bridge was used. The voltage and the amount of salt used in the electrolyte were determined so as to obtain porous coatings. Within the framework of this study, the PEO process was carried out at a voltage of 450 VRMS in four electrolytes containing the salt as copper(II) nitrate(V) trihydrate. Moreover, we showed that the content of salt in the electrolyte needed to obtain a porous PEO coating was in the range 300–600 g/dm3. After exceeding this amount of salts in the electrolyte, some inclusions on the sample surface were observed. It is worth noting that this limitation of the amount of salts in the electrolyte was not connected with the maximum solubility of copper(II) nitrate(V) trihydrate in the concentrated (85%) orthophosphoric acid. To characterize the obtained coatings, numerous techniques were used. In this work, we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), conducted surface analysis using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and studied the surface layer chemical composition of the obtained coatings by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), glow discharge of optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES), and biological tests. It was found that the higher the concentration of Cu(NO3)2∙3H2O in the electrolyte, the higher the roughness of the coatings, which may be described by 3D roughness parameters, such as Sa (1.17–1.90 μm) and Sp (7.62–13.91 μm). The thicknesses of PEO coatings obtained in the electrolyte with 300–600 g/dm3 Cu(NO3) 2∙3H2O were in the range 7.8 to 10 μm. The Cu/P ratio of the whole volume of coating measured by EDS was in the range 0.05–0.12, while the range for the top layer (measured using XPS) was 0.17–0.24. The atomic concentration of copper (0.54–0.72 at%) resulted in antibacterial and fungicidal properties in the fabricated coatings, which can be dedicated to biocompatible applications.

Phosphate Porous Coatings Enriched with Selected Elements via PEO Treatment on Titanium and Its Alloys: A Review

“…Performed studies of coatings obtained in electrolyte containing H 3 PO 4 with Cu(NO 3 ) 2 •3H 2 O within voltage range from 450 V to 650 V, reveals its copper enrichment (Cu/P = 0.24-2.59 at%), which is also proved by Cu/P ratio (0.009-0.082) [188]. It was also proven that obtained porous coatings enriched with copper exhibit antifungal and antibacterial properties [189].…”

Antibacterial Titanium Implants Biofunctionalized by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation with Silver, Zinc, and Copper: A Systematic Review

“…Calcium acetate and calcium glycerophosphate were the primary source of Ca, while CaCO 3 [ 52 ] and C 12 H 22 CaO 14 [ 67 ] were also used in some studies. P is usually added in the form of calcium glycerophosphate, β-glycerophosphate, H 3 PO 4 [ 52 , 69 ], K 4 P 2 O 7 [ 60 ], NaH 2 PO 4 [ 48 , 49 , 65 , 71 , 74 , 75 ], NaPO 3 [ 67 ], or Na 5 P 3 O 10 [ 85 ]. Another element used in about 30% of the included studies is Na in the form of NaOH, NaH 2 PO 4 [ 48 , 49 , 65 , 71 , 74 , 75 ], NaPO 3 [ 67 ], Na 5 P 3 O 10 [ 85 ], or Na 2 SiO 3 [ 73 , 76 , 78 , 98 ].…”

A Method and Device for Automated Grinding of Small Ceramic Elements

“…Requirements for reliability and high durability as well as social considerations related to health protection and environmental protection are becoming more and more important [6]. Ceramic materials subjected to abrasive treatment differ significantly in many features, such as chemical composition, hardness, internal structure, brittleness, and porosity [5,[7][8][9][10][11].…”