A NEW COMPOSITE COATING FOR 316 L STAINLESS STEEL IMPLANT

Abstract

Stainless steel (SS) is a biomaterial used widely in dental and medical fields. It is a bio-tolerant material and more susceptible to infection and corrosion. To overcome these problems SS can be coated with hydroxyapatite crystals combined with titanium. Infection resistance can be imparted by incorporating antimicrobial agent such as silver. A composite coating HA-Ti with Ag at 13wt% was prepared for SS using pulse laser technique and compared with HA and HA-Ti coatings. The coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy. The antibacterial action was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in vitro. The corrosion behavior of the coatings was studied in Hank's balanced solution using computerized potentiated. The results revealed that the composite coating HA-Ti-Ag was uniform and thin (1.6 μm). This coating reduced the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and improved the corrosion resistance of SS. SS coated with (HA-Ti-Ag) coating can be used in dental and orthopedic surgery.