Materials Today Communications, cilt.37, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
Titanium has revolutionized various industries due to its exceptional properties, including superior tensile strength, lightweight, and remarkable resistance to oxygen and acids. However, titanium has limitations, such as high-temperature interactions and hydrogen embrittlement. Protective coatings using Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) deal with these challenges. Tantalum and tungsten nitride coatings provide corrosion resistance and surface hardness improvement. Adding metals like gold, silver, and copper can modify coated materials but may result in immiscible phases. Silver-doped coatings are used for their thermal conductivity, antimicrobial properties, and widespread applications in medical devices and sports equipment. Enhancing the surface characteristics of Cp-Ti (grade 2) through tantalum-tungsten-based coatings is the objective of this study. The structural properties, mechanical performance, corrosion resistance, and antibacterial properties were evaluated through XRD, SEM, AFM, XPS analyses, nanoindentation, scratch tests. In this study, tantalum-tungsten-based coatings were applied to Cp-Ti (Grade 2) to enhance its surface properties, with evaluations conducted through various analyses and tests revealing details about their structural features and performance. Notably, the addition of silver to the coatings amplified their hardness and antibacterial properties, though it detrimentally affected corrosion performance due to an increase in gaps count.