Soda-lime glass-coating containing silver nanoparticles on Ti–6Al–4V alloy

The prevention and treatment of post-surgical infections is an ongoing concern. Post-surgical infections often cannot be treated with commercially available antibiotic-loaded bone cement as because higher doses of antibiotics are required. We describe here an approach to prevent implant infection through the use of glass coatings combined with silver nanoparticles deposited by sedimentation and heat-treated at 980 °C on titanium alloys. Silver is nontoxic to the human tissue and has been used as an anti-infective for centuries. The glass/silver coatings are composed of a soda-lime glassy matrix containing silver nanoparticles ranging from 2.6 to 20 wt.%. Optimum firing conditions have been determined for the fabrication of coatings that adhere well to the metal implant. These final coatings do not crack or delaminate. The biocidal activity of these coatings was also investigated. Coatings containing 20 wt.% of silver nanoparticles exhibited excellent biocidal activity (log η > 5) against Gram+, Gram− bacteria, and yeast after 24 h.