Abstract
Titanium dioxide and vanadium oxides have been applied extensively in industrial and medical fields. The objective of this study was to develop various composite structures of titanium and vanadium oxide (Ti-V-O) coatings on pure titanium through high-temperature annealing and laser texturing oxidation, separately; additionally, surface morphologies, tribological and hydrophilic properties, and antibacterial and biocompatibility abilities of these Ti-V-O coatings were evaluated. TiV alloy thin films were deposited on pure titanium and then annealed to form Ti-V-O coatings through thermal oxidation and laser texturing oxidation. Ball-on-disc wear tests and contact angle tests were conducted to evaluate the tribological properties and wettability of the coatings, respectively. The antibacterial activity of the coatings was estimated by SYTO9 nucleic acid staining with Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria). The cell cytotoxicity of the coatings was analyzed following the ISO 10995-5:2009 standard with human skin fibroblast cells. The Ti-V-O coatings, subjected to annealing at 700 °C, demonstrated higher hardness (Hv 1171) and a lower friction coefficient (0.6). The highest hardness (Hv 2711) and the lowest friction coefficient (0.52) were obtained for the Ti-V-O after laser surface texturing oxidation at 100 kHz. The oxide coating obtained from 100 kHz laser texturing oxidation exhibited the lotus effect because of its systematic textured microstructures, and displayed superhydrophobic surface properties. Compared with the unannealed TiV coating, both the samples with high-temperature annealing and laser surface texturing oxidation had excellent antibacterial properties to Staphylococcus aureus. However, the Ti-V-O thin films exhibited notable cell cytotoxicity. Although the cell viability on Ti-V-O coatings were not ideal, this study confirmed improvement in surface hardness, tribology, and antibacterial performance in Ti-V-O coatings, which may have potential for use in biomedical tools, devices, and equipment.
Highlights
The surface properties of biomaterials are important for biomedical implants and medical instruments [1]
The results revealed that titanium and vanadium (TiV) coatings had greater hardness than the titanium and vanadium oxide (Ti-V-O) 300 kHz and Ti-V-O 500 kHz coatings
The results indicated that the high-temperature annealing (HTA) temperature influenced the coefficient of friction (COF) of deposited coatings, and the COF value was reduced for the samples after HTA
Summary
The surface properties of biomaterials are important for biomedical implants and medical instruments [1]. Pure titanium and Ti alloys are the most commonly used metals in biomedical materials [2], and naturally form a TiO2 oxidation layer on the material surface. Formed TiO2 oxidation layers are thin despite their excellent chemical inertness. Materials 2018, 11, 2495 protect the pure titanium and Ti alloy beneath the surface. Methods, such as surface treatment and coating, can cover pure titanium with a special oxide layer to enhance mechanical properties, including corrosion and abrasion resistance. Surface treatment and coating are promising methods for improving the surface properties of pure titanium and Ti alloys
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