Studies of calcium-precipitating oral bacterial adhesion on TiN, TiO2 single layer, and TiN/TiO2 multilayer-coated 316L SS

Titanium nitride (TiN), titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) single layer, and TiN/TiO 2 multilayer coatings were deposited on a 316L stainless steel substrate using reactive magnetron sputtering process with the aim of preventing bacterial adhesion. The crystal structures of as-prepared coatings were evaluated using X-ray diffraction analysis. The cubic structure of TiN, anatase, and rutile structure of TiO 2 was noticed. Atomic force microscopy images exhibited a relatively smooth surface for all coatings. The surface wettability studies confirmed that the coatings were hydrophilic in nature. The rate of bacterial adhesion was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and epifluorescence microscopy. These results demonstrated that the coated substrates could help to effectively reduce the bacterial adhesion and biofilm formations.