Effect of Si-incorporation on hydrophilicity and bioactivity of titania film

Silicon incorporated titania (Si–TiO2) films were prepared on titanium substrates by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIII&D) using filtered Ti and Si cathodic arc sources in oxygen atmosphere. The as-deposited films were further annealed at 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C for 2 h in air. The microstructure and phase composition of the films were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The hydrophilicity of the film was illustrated using water contact angle measurement and the in vitro bioactivity was evaluated by simulated body fluid immersion test. Pure titania (TiO2) film was also parallelly studied for comparison. The results show that the grain size of TiO2 and Si–TiO2 films increases and their hydrophilicity is enhanced with the increase of annealing temperature, while the Si–TiO2 film exhibits smaller grain and better hydrophilicity than TiO2 film. The bioactivity of the Si–TiO2 film is also better than that of TiO2 film. Moreover, the 600 °C-annealed Si–TiO2 film possesses best bioactivity, which is thought to result from the existence of anatase phase and nanoscale grains.

► Si-incorporated titania film was prepared using PIII&D technology;
► Si-incorporated titania film exhibits better hydrophilicity and bioactivity than pure titania film;
► Hydrophilicity of films is enhanced with the increase of annealing temperature.