Hard Wear-Resistant Ti-Si-C Coatings for Cu-Cr Electrical Contacts.

In this study, hard wear-resistant Ti-Si-C coatings were deposited on Cu-Cr materials to improve their performance as sliding electrical contact materials. A ceramic disk composed of Ti3SiC2 and TiC phases was used as a target for DC magnetron sputtering to deposit the coatings. The influence of the power supplied to the magnetron on the chemical composition, structure, and friction coefficient of the coatings was examined. The coatings demonstrated high hardness (23-25 GPa), low wear rate (1-3 × 10-5 mm3/N/m) and electrical resistance (300 µOhm·cm), and fair resistance to electroerosion. The coating deposited at 450 W for 30 min displayed optimal properties for protecting the Cu-Cr alloy from the arc effect.

Mechanical properties of decellularized extracellular matrix coated with TiCaPCON film.

For the first time the surface of decellularized extracellular matrix (DECM) was modified via deposition of a multicomponent bioactive nanostructured film for improvement of the DECM's mechanical properties. TiCaPCON films were deposited onto the surface of intact and decellularized ulna, radius, and humerus bones by magnetron sputtering of TiC0.5 + 10%Ca3(PO4)2 and Ti targets in a gaseous mixture of Ar + N2. The film structure was studied using x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The films were characterized in terms of their wettability, as well as adhesion strength to the intact bone and DECM substrates. The mechanical properties of TiCaPCON-coated samples were investigated by compression testing. In addition, humerus bones were evaluated during three-point bending tests. The results indicate that the tightly adhered films, uniformly covering the DECM surfaces, possessed hydrophilic characteristics. A maximum improvement in mechanical properties (250%) was observed for coated humerus samples. In case of decellularized radius bones, the compressive strength also increased by 150% after coating. The positive role of TiCaPCON films was less noticeable for ulna bones because of large data scattering. These results clearly indicate that the films acted as a rigid frame that increased the material compressive strength. Compared with intact bones, fracture in the TiCaPCON-coated DECM samples was characterized by rarer and larger cracks generated under higher critical loads. As a result, the samples were crushed into several large pieces and numerous tiny fragments. Although the film deposition increased the bone stiffness, the bending tests revealed that the flexural strength of the coated samples became 20%-25% lower than the strength of the film-free samples.

In vitro bioactivity study of TiCaPCO(N) and Ag-doped TiCaPCO(N) films in simulated body fluid.

Bioactivity of multicomponent TiCaPCO(N) and Ag-doped TiCaPCO(N) films was evaluated in vitro using simulated body fluid (SBF) and compared with that of bioactive glass Biogran. The first group of films was fabricated by magnetron sputtering of composite TiС0.5 -Ti3 POx -CaO target produced via the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) method (TiCaPCON films), after which their surface was implanted with Ag+ ions to obtain Ag-doped TiCaPCON films. The second group of films was fabricated by pulsed electrospark deposition (PED) using SHS-produced composite TiС0.5 -Ti3 POx -CaO and TiС0.5 -Ti3 POx -CaO-Ag electrodes. After immersion in SBF, the structure and chemistry of surface were well characterized using a combination of various microanalytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry (both in conventional and grazing incidence mode), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy. The results showed that the surfaces of the TiCaPCO(N) and Ag-doped TiCaPCO(N) films were bioactive in vitro and induced the formation of an apatite layer during exposure in SBF. In the case of the magnetron-sputtered films, the apatite layer was formed over 14 days, while 28 days were needed to form CaP phase on the surface of PED-modified samples. Various factors (film structure, surface roughness, surface functional groups, surface charge, and composition, supersaturation, and near-surface local supersaturation of SBF) affecting the kinetics of bone-like apatite formation on a bioactive surface are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 193-203, 2017.

Toward bioactive yet antibacterial surfaces.

The fabrication of antibacterial yet biocompatible and bioactive surfaces is a challenge that biological and biomedical community has faced for many years, while no "dream material" has been developed so far. The primary goal of this study was to establish an optimal range of Ag concentration and its state of agglomeration in bioactive nanocomposite TiCaPCON films which would provide a strong bactericidal effect without compromising the material biocompatibility and bioactivity. To obtain samples with different Ag content and redistribution, two different methods were employed: (i) TiCaPCON films deposition by magnetron sputtering of composite TiС0.5-Ca3(РО4)2 target followed by Ag(+) ion implantation and (ii) Ag-doped TiCaPCON films obtained by co-sputtering of composite TiС0.5-Ca3(РО4)2 and Ag targets. In order to reveal the antibacterial role of Ag nanoparticles and Ag(+) ions, both separate and in synergy, part of the samples from the first and second groups was subjected to additional ion etching to remove an Ag rich surface layer heavily populated with Ag nanoparticles. All resultant films were characterized with respect to surface morphology, chemical composition, surface roughness, wettability, and Ag(+) ion release. The antibacterial and antifungal effects of the Ag-doped TiCaPCON films were evaluated against clinically isolated Escherichia coli O78 (E. coli) and Neurospora crassa wt-987 spores. The influence of the surface chemistry on spreading, proliferation, and early stages of MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cell differentiation was also studied. Our data demonstrated that under optimal conditions in terms of Ag content and agglomeration, the Ag-doped TiCaPCON films are highly efficient against E. coli bacteria and, at the same time, provide good adhesion, spreading, proliferation and differentiation of osteoblastic cells which reflect high level of biocompatibility and bioactivity of the films. The influence of Ag(+) ions and nanoparticles on the MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells and E. coli bacteria is also discussed.