The Physical and Antibacterial Properties of Argentine-Doped TiO<sub>2</sub> Film on Stainless Steel Substrate

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate the physical properties and antibacterial performances of Ag+-doped TiO2 film on stainless steel and effects of surface oxidization. In the experiment, the surface of stainless steel was been oxidized by heat treatment (550°C, 1 hour) before the Ag+-doped TiO2 (anatase) film being formed by sol-gel method. Sample A (filmed after surface oxidization), B (filmed without surface oxidization), C (only surface oxidization) and D (neither oxidized nor filmed) were respectively tested for corrosive resistance, abrasive resistance and adhesiveness, and the samples with different content of argentine was tested for antibacterial performance. Results: 1) Corrosion rates of sample A, B, C and D in 10% FeCl3 solution are respectively 1.65%, 1.87%, 2.02% and 3.28%, suggesting that the film has protected the stainless steel from the corrosion; 2) Scratching using a loaded (150 g) pin makes no crack on surface of sample A, while it results a slight scuffing on surface of sample B, suggesting that the surface oxidization has enhanced the abrasive resistance and adhesiveness of the TiO2 film, which may be due to the bridge-like function of the oxidation film; 3)Antibacterial performance is enhanced as the content of doping argentine increases, exceeding 90% when the argentine reached 3%, and the TiO2 film on the oxidized stainless steel performs better in antibacterial test than untreated one.