Surface characterization and antibacterial efficiency of TiO2 nanotubes on Ti15Mo alloy

The aim of this work is to investigate wettability and antibacterial properties of the well-ordered TiO2 nanotube (TNTs) surfaces on new generation Ti15Mo alloys for dental and orthopedic implant applications. Thus, the well-ordered TNTs and flat oxide surfaces were fabricated at various potentials such as 20 V, 40 V and 60 V on Ti15Mo alloy by anodic oxidation (AO) technique. Uniform elemental distributions were obtained across all surfaces. In particular, the nanotube surfaces produced at 60 V showed hydrophilic behavior whereas the flat and nanotube surfaces produced at 20 V and 40 V were hydrophobic, respectively. The in vitro antibacterial activity of all surfaces against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria were investigated in detail. Compared to bare Ti15Mo alloys, the flat and TNTs surfaces indicated antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the antibacterial efficiency of TNTs produced on Ti15Mo alloy improved with increasing AO potential values.