Regular Papers : Antibacterial Properties of TiAgN and ZrAgN Thin Film Coated by Physical Vapor Deposition for Medical Applications

We deposited TiAgN and ZrAgN nanocomposite coatings on pure Titanium specimens, by using arc ion plating (AIP) with single alloy targets. TiAg ZrAg alloy targets of 5 wt.%, 10 wt.% silver content by vacuum arc remelting (VAR), followed by homogenization for 2 hours at 1,100℃ in non-active Ar gas atmosphere and characterized these samples for morphology and chemical composition. We investigated the biocompatibility of TiAg and ZrAg alloys by examining the proliferation of L929 fibroblast cells by MTT test assay, after culturing the cells (4×104 cells/cm2) for 24 hours; and exploring the antibacterial properties of thin films by culturing Streptococus Mutans (KCTC3065), using paperdisk techniques. Our results showed no cytotoxic effects in any of the specimens, but the antibacterial effects against Streptococus Mutans appeared only in the 10 wt.% silver content specimens.