A preliminary study into the efficacy of antibiotic doped niobium oxide coatings on 316L prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and sol-gel synthesis

Erythromycin was incorporated into niobium oxide coatings on stainless steel via advanced sol-gel processing. The effects of drug incorporation on the coatings were evaluated via SEM imaging. The release of erythromycin was measured and short term antibacterial properties were analyzed for 3 and 24 h. Further, the adhesion of S. aureus on the drug containing surfaces were also observed. A comparative study for release and antibacterial properties of erythromycin containing niobium oxide coatings was made based on two different processing routes, variation in drug concentration and immersion time.