Biocompatibility of Ti-Mn-N films with different manganese contents

Abstract Ti-Mn-N films were deposited on CoCrMo alloys and Si substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of Mn content on the structure, surface composition and surface energy of Ti-Mn-N film were investigated by XRD, SEM, XPS, and contact angle measurements. Primary mouse osteoblasts were cultured on the Ti-Mn-N films for 1 and 3 d to evaluate cell adhesion and cell viability. RAW264.7 macrophages were cultured on the Ti-Mn–N films for 24 h to evaluate the cell activation and inflammatory cytokine release. The results showed that after culturing for 3 days, there were a greater number of osteoblasts on the 2.2%Mn-TiN and 4.4%Mn-TiN films as compared to the other films. When the Mn content was higher than 4.4 at.%, the osteoblasts viability on Ti-Mn-N films was reduced. In addition, the results of the released inflammatory factors showed that Ti-Mn-N films induced a lower inflammatory response than that induced by CoCrMo alloy, while demonstrating the same excellent biocompatibility as that of TiN film. Hence, Ti-Mn–N films with 2.2 at.% and 4.4 at.% Mn have potential application on the surface modification of dental implant.