The generation of wear-resistant antimicrobial stainless steel surfaces by active screen plasma alloying with N and nanocrystalline Ag.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), a large proportion of which are derived from contact transmission, represent a massive global challenge. In this study a novel active screen plasma (ASP) alloying technology has been developed to generate highly durable antimicrobial surfaces by combining a wear-resistant S-phase with nanocrystalline silver for medical grade stainless steel. The phase constituent, microstructure, composition and surface roughness of the alloyed surfaces were fully characterized, and the surface hardness, wear resistance and antimicrobial efficiency of the treated surfaces were evaluated. Experimental results showed that the surface hardness and sliding wear resistance of medical grade 316LVM stainless steel can be effectively improved by the ASP alloying treatment; furthermore, the Ag alloyed S-phase can achieve 93% reduction in Escherichia coli (E. coli) after 6 h contact time. Therefore, the novel ASP alloying treatment can not only improve wear resistance but also confer antibacterial activity to stainless steel surfaces.
Dong
Yangchun
Y
School of Metallurgy and Materials, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. yxd741@bham.ac.uk
Li
Xiaoying
X
Sammons
Rachel
R
Dong
Hanshan
H
D000497:Alloys; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development; D006244:Hardness; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008422:Materials Testing; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D012834:Silver; D013193:Stainless Steel; D013499:Surface Properties
D000497:Alloys; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D013193:Stainless Steel; D012834:Silver