Bacteria adherence properties of nitrogen-doped TiO2 coatings by plasma surface alloying technique

In order to obtain a high-performance surface on 316L stainless steel (S. S) that can meet the requirements in medical material field environment, nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2−xNx) was synthesized by oxidative annealing the resulted TiNx coatings in air. Titanium nitride coatings on 316L S. S were obtained by plasma surface alloying technique. The as-prepared coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction, glow discharge optical emission spectrometer (GDOES), scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The bacteria adherence property of the TiO2−xNx coatings on S. S on the oral bacteria Streptococcus Mutans was investigated and compared with that of S. S by fluorescence microscopy. The mechanism of the bacteria adherence was discussed. The results show that the TiO2−xNx coatings are composed of anatase crystalline structure. SEM measurement indicates a rough surface morphology with three-dimensional homogenous protuberances after annealing treatment. Because of the photocatalysis and positive adhesion free energy, the TiO2−xNx coatings inhibit the bacteria adherence.