Study of TiCu/TiCuN multilayer films with antibacterial activity.

Objective: Three differently designed multilayer films of TiCu/TiCuN multilayer (M1, M2, and M3) were deposited on 316L stainless steel surface using the axial magnetic field-enhanced arc ion plating (AMFE-ARP) method. The aim of this study was to investigate both cytocompatibility and antibacterial activity of the multilayer films. Methods: The antibacterial rate, attached bacteria and developed biofilms were studied from quantitative antibacterial test and bacterial morphological examination. The in vitro biocompatibilities of the films were systematically investigated by means of methods of CCK8 cell proliferation assay, phalloidin cytoskeleton staining and Annexin-V/PI flow cytometry. Results: The multilayer film of M2 revealed a better cytocompatibility and antibacterial activity than the others. The M2 film is suggested to be much application potential as antibacterial films on the biomedical implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]