Novel ordered TiO2 nanodot array on 316LSS with enhanced antibacterial properties

Abstract A novel ordered TiO2 nanodot array on 316LSS (NTA/316LSS) was first prepared by sol-gel in situ growth method. The surface microstructure, chemical components, antibacterial activity and cytocompatibility of the samples were characterized. The results showed that anatase TiO2 nanogranules (45 ± 5 nm) were embedded into nanopits (50 ± 5 nm) and arrayed in an ordered manner. The in vitro antibacterial test showed that there was a 96.3 ± 2.4% reduction in E. coli on the NTA/316LSS surface and a 98.1 ± 1.3% reduction in S. aureus compared to that on untreated 316LSS controls. Furthermore, NTA/316LSS showed good cytocompatibility in vitro. Our study revealed that such TiO2 nanodot surface can be designed to improve the use of 316LSS for various implant application.