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Titanium (Ti) and Ti alloys possess extensive applications in the medical field due to their non-toxic, biocompatible, and antibacterial properties. This study investigates the biocompatibility enhancement of a Ti-based alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, through a multi-step process involving cathodic arc ion plating of a TiZrTa thin film and subsequent laser-textured oxidation (LTO). LTO treatment produced a structured microtopography with regular groove patterns, including straight lines (L-s), circles (L-c), and checkboards (L-ch), resulting in surface oxidation and the formation of various oxides on the TiZrTa coating. Microstructure analyses revealed substantial alterations in surface topography induced by laser texturing. Antibacterial assessments against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) showed that the films with LTO treatment did not exhibit significant advantages after 12 or 24 h of coculture because the laser-textured portions consisted of a combination of the film and the substrate, and the antibacterial effect was not obvious. Coatings with LTO treatment significantly improved L-929 mouse fibroblasts cell viability at 48 h, particularly for samples with a 50 μm spacing of straight and circular patterns (L-s and L-c). After two weeks of MG-63 human osteosarcoma cell culture, the viability of all samples reached similar levels. It suggested that the TiZrTa-coated Ti-6Al-4V exhibited good biocompatibility with both cells. This study contributed to the understanding of surface modification techniques for enhancing the biocompatibility of Ti-based alloys in biomedical applications. • A TiZrTa thin film with LTO treatment was applied onto Ti-6Al-4V alloys. • LTO produced regular groove patterns and resulted in superior hydrophilicity. • LTO-treated thin films did not have obvious antibacterial improvement of S. aureus. • LTO-treated thin films improved the cell viability of both L-929 and MG-63 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, amorphous tantalum oxide coatings were deposited onto the Ti substrate with and without plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO)-pretreatment by using a high-powered impulse magnetron sputtering system. The antibacterial tests were conducted using Syto9 fluorescent dyes to study the antibacterial performance of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans) bacteria. In vitro studies, the cell cytotoxicity and cell viability were evaluated with soft-tissue derived human skin fibroblasts and hard-tissue derived human osteosarcoma cells. The results of the antibacterial experiments revealed that both the Ta 2 O 5 and PEO-pretreated Ta 2 O 5 samples had superior antibacterial properties compared to the uncoated Ti samples. Cell viability analyses showed that the Ta 2 O 5 films with and without PEO pretreatment exhibited better cell growth compared to the Ti specimens in human skin fibroblasts and human osteosarcoma cells. The cell viability of PEO-pretreated Ta 2 O 5 films even two-fold higher than the Ti specimens in human osteosarcoma cells. In addition, no cytotoxicity was detected in both the Ta 2 O 5 and PEO-pretreated Ta 2 O 5 films. It concluded that porous Ta 2 O 5 film pretreated with PEO procedure possessed both great biocompatibility and antibacterial abilities. It might have highly potential to be a candidate for the surface materials of dental or orthopedic implants. • Amorphous Ta 2 O 5 are deposited by high-powered impulse magnetron sputtering. • The plasma electrolytic oxidation-pretreated Ta 2 O 5 has the highest hydrophilicity. • The Ta 2 O 5 coatings showed good antibacterial properties. • The cell viability of human skin fibroblasts is the highest for the Ta 2 O 5 coatings. • The MG-63 cell viability is the highest for the porous PEO-pretreated Ta 2 O 5 coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]