TiN-Ag as an antimicrobial and wear resistant coating

Abstract Nosocomial infections are a major clinical concern, posing great risks for patients and rising costs for health services providers. This work aims at developing a hard, wear resistant coating, whose antimicrobial properties shall prevent the transmission of infections. TiN coatings deposited by Physical Vapour Deposition, PVD, with different Ag contents have been studied, especially in relation to the hardness and adhesion, their microstructure and morphology. The antimicrobial activity of the surfaces has been assessed against Staphylococcus epidermidis at different time frames, one of the most troublesome source of infections in trauma and orthopaedic surgeries. The electro-tribology properties of different silver contest have been studied. Finally, the coatings have been deposited on surgical acetabular reamers and wear resistance tests have been carried out against synthetic composite bone (simulating cortical and cancellous bone). Results have shown a good coating adhesion on stainless steel (both quantitatively in the scratch tests and qualitatively in the tests against synthetic composite bone), while the hardness decreased with higher Ag percentages. Furthermore, coatings exhibited antimicrobial activity against S.epidermidis, limited silver release, a remarkable wear resistance (vs. uncoated surgical acetabular reamers), while the electrical contact resistance provided valuable information about the evolution of friction and the status of the coating. Therefore TiN-Ag coatings present promising features for reducing the risk of infections, monitoring and extending cutting edge life and quality, and thus limiting damage to living tissues, e.g. necrosis.