Influence of Reactive Sputtering-Deposited Nb₂O₅ Coating On the Ti-6Al-4V Alloy Surfaces: Biomineralization, Antibacterial Activity, and Cell Viability Tests

Biomedical engineering has been constantly looking for the development of new materials that have bioactive surfaces and that are responsible for new bone formation, induce osteoblast differentiation and present antibacterial properties. Here, we present innovative and applied research to evaluate the influence of niobium pentoxide thin films (Nb₂O₅) deposited on the surface of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy via the reactive sputtering technique on antibacterial activity, on the cellular proliferation of MC3T3 cells and on biomineralization capacity. Results demonstrated the reactive sputtering technique improved the cell viability, the osteogenic performance of cells involved in the osseointegration process, the ability to delay bacterial proliferation within the first six hours of contact with S. aureus as well as the capacity to promote rapid amorphous apatite formation in vitro. These findings confirm the great potential of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy functionalized with Nb₂O₅ for future applications in implantable devices.

Keywords:
Biomaterials; Orthopedic implants; Titanium alloy; Surface modification; MC3T3 cells