Construction of antifouling Cu-modified TiO2 coating via micro-arc oxidation: The influence of Cu content

As an effective antimicrobial element, the incorporation of Cu into the surface layer of metallic Ti substrate is regarded as a promising method to enhance its antifouling phenomenon. In this work, a micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process was conducted in an aqueous electrolyte containing Na2Cu-EDTA to produce a Cu-modified TiO2 coating on metallic Ti. The influence of Na2Cu-EDTA concentrations on microstructural feature, corrosion resistance and antifouling capability of the Cu-modified TiO2 coatings were examined. The results indicate that an increased amount of Cu could be incorporated into TiO2 with a higher concentration of Na2Cu-EDTA, which also affects the micro-arc discharge events and, consequently, the morphological features of the coating. The content of incorporated Cu determines the antifouling performance of Cu-modified TiO2 coating, which remains harmless to the corrosion resistance. •Na2Cu-EDTA tailors micro-arc discharge events to affect microstructure of Cu-modified TiO2 coating.•Corrosion resistance of TiO2 is insensitive to the content of incorporated Cu.•TiO2 with a higher content of Cu exhibits an enhanced antifouling performance.