EFFECT OF Ti:Zr RATIO ON THE STRUCTURERAL, HYDROPHILIC AND BIOCOMPATIBLE PROPERTIES OF TiZrN THIN FILMS

Abstract

In this article, we investigated the influence of the Ti/Zr ratio on the structural properties, water wettability, and cell compatibility of TiZrN thin films fabricated by sputtering method. All TiZrN thin films were deposited at room temperature under working pressure of 5 mtorr by dc-magnetron sputtering. By varying the Ti/Zr ratio through adjusting the sputtering power of the Zr source, we observed changes in the surface morphology, crystallinity, and water wettability of the TiZrN films. Increasing the Zr sputtering power resulted in a significant decrease in crystallinity and surface roughness. The contact angle increased from 65° to 81°, and the surface roughness decreased from 5.53 nm to 1.42 nm. All the films exhibited good compatibility with BHK cells. After 72 hours of culturing, the BHK cells proliferated and adhered to most positions on the surface of the TiZrN films. This indicates that TiZrN films have great potential for applications in biomedical implants.