Imparting bioactivity to CP−Titanium with sputtered TiBN interlayer and electrophoretically grown bioglass overlay

Surface-modified implant materials with improved physicochemical properties and biocompatibility are vital for determining osseointegration and to enhance bone anchorage. Herein, titanium boron nitride (TiBN) thin films of thickness 3.4 μm were coated as an interlayer on sandblasted Ti plates by confocal D.C. magnetron sputtering using Ti and TiB2 targets. Nanoindentation tests showed a hardness of 27 GPa for the thin film. The bioactivity of the as-prepared coatings was enriched by introducing bioglass (BG), 45S5, overlay via electrophoretic deposition. The nanocrystalline microstructure with lattice parameter 4.2 Å, surface topology and vibration modes/surface chemistry of the coatings were comprehensively studied using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Swab inoculation assay, cellular viability assay and hemocompatibility studies revealed that bioglass overlaid thin films exhibited antibacterial property and cytocompatibility with no clot formation. Contact angle measurements showed that 45S5 bioglass-coated substrates were hydrophilic. Biocorrosion studies of the prepared implant materials in simulated body fluid (SBF) revealed the corrosion resistance of bioglass overlaid specimens with the corrosion potential (Ecorr) shifting towards a relatively positive value and the corrosion current density (Icorr) decreasing in the order bare Ti > TiBN >45S5/TiBN coated Ti substrates. Obtained experimental results suggests that the as-prepared 45S5 glass-coated TiBN/Ti plates could be a potential implantable candidate with synergistic cytocompatibility and corrosion resistance. [Display omitted] •Boron-incorporated ternary transition metal nitride (TiBN) thin films were developed by reactive sputtering.•The thin films were found that the film is a nanocomposite of crystalline TiN and amorphous BN.•The bioactivity of the thin film was enhanced by electrophoretically depositing 45S5 bioglass.•Biocompatibility of the thin film was evaluated by hemocompatibility, cytocompatibity and antibacterial activity.•The film acted as a protective topcoat in underlying metal from corrosive environment.