Effect of micro-arc oxidation on antimicrobial properties and biocompatibility of biomedical Ti-xFe alloys

In this paper, Ti-xFe (x = 3,5,9 wt%) alloys were surface modified by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) to improve both antimicrobial properties and biocompatibility. The surface morphology, phase composition, and chemical composition of MAO treated Ti-xFe alloys were analyzed by XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS. The roughness, hydrophilicity, corrosion resistance, antimicrobial resistance and biocompatibility of Ti-xFe-MAO were tested by laser confocal microscopy, contact angle measurement, electrochemical tests, antimicrobial experiments and cellular assays to evaluate their potential as orthopedic implants materials. The roughness and hydrophilicity of Ti-xFe-MAO alloys were greatly enhanced with increasing the oxidation voltage. The Ti-xFe alloys micro-arc oxidized at 250 V and 300 V showed improved corrosion resistance and excellent antimicrobial and cytocompatibility properties. Hence, micro-arc oxidation should be an excellent surface modification to improve the biofunction of Ti-xFe alloy as an implant alloy.