Co-sputtered Antibacterial and Biocompatible Nanocomposite Titania-Zinc Oxide thin films on Si substrates for Dental Implant applications

ABSTRACTThe present work explores the possible applications of co-sputtered titania(Ti)-zinc(Zn)-oxide nanocomposite-(nC) thin films to improve the bonding of metallic fixture with bone. As a proof of principle study, the nC-titania-zinc-oxide thin films have been deposited on Si-(100) substrates by reactive magnetron co-sputtering at various substrate temperatures. In vitro, static immersion test in Hanks Balanced Salt Solution reveals the ability of the composite films to encourage the formation of bone-like apatite. Results of the cytocompatibility tests with MG-63 human osteoblast and L929 mouse fibroblast cell lines demonstrate superior adhesion and proliferation ability on the nC-titania-zinc-oxide coated substrates as compared to uncoated ones. The developed films material was observed to strongly inhibit the growth of both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The microstructural, morphological and surface properties of the films were studied, using various characterization techniques. Overa...