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• ZrO 2 films were deposited on stainless steel 316L by RF magnetron sputtering. • The ZrO 2 coated 316L are hydrophobic. • Bioactivity tests in vitro demonstrate the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the films surface. The zirconia (ZrO 2) films were deposited using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) from a pure zirconium target in Ar-O 2 gas mixture with different percentage of the oxygen. The effect of Oxygen percentage on the film's characteristics was investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and tribology test. Also, the contact angle of the films was measured in order to evaluate their hydrophobicity. Additionally, in vitro test in artificial blood plasma and further SEM observations were performed to study bioactivity of the films. The experimental results showed that the roughness, the porosity and the thickness of the films depend on the oxygen percentage. According to XRD and Raman spectroscopy results, the films present a polymorph phase of monoclinic and tetragonal. Zirconia films at low oxygen percentage showed better hydrophobic behavior with 114.5° at 15% of oxygen. These films also exhibit a lower friction coefficient and wear rate (0.22 and 6 × 10−07 mm3/m respectively). However the best bioactive behavior was exhibited by the films deposited at 25% of oxygen due to their higher roughness and porosity. In fact, it was found that the bioactivity of the films is highly dependent on the porosity and roughness of the films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]