Effect of Anodic Oxidation on Antibacterial Properties and Biocompatibility of Ti‐13Nb‐13Zr‐3Cu for Biomedical Application

Ti‐13Nb‐13Zr (TNZ), a representative of β‐type titanium alloys, has garnered significant interest in biomedical implant materials recently because of its high strength, and closer elastic modulus to human bone. However, TNZ alloy does not have antibacterial properties and has the potential to cause implant‐related infection, even implantation failure. Herein, TNZ alloy is alloyed by Cu element and the surface is modified by anodic oxidation (AO) to enhance the biocompatibility and antimicrobial qualities. The corrosion resistance, antimicrobial properties, and cytotoxicity of the TNZ‐3Cu alloy before and after anodization are studied by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical test, mechanical property test, and cell test. The experimental results show that the primary constituents of the TNZ‐3Cu alloy are α″ martensite and β phase after solid solution treatment. The elastic modulus of TNZ‐3Cu alloy is (65 ± 1.33) GPa, 9 GPa lower than that of TNZ alloy. The AO treatment significantly improves the hydrophilicity and antibacterial properties as well as the corrosion resistance by the formation of a dense oxides composites coating. The cell test results show that the coating improves the initial adhesion of cells by the high hydrophilic surface and promotes the proliferation of cells by the release of copper ions.