Structure-Element Surface Modification Strategy Enhances the Antibacterial Performance of Zr-BMGs

Zirconium-based metallic glasses (Zr-BMGs) have attracted tremendous attention in healthcare fields, especially in the design of surgical tools and orthopedic implants, due to their unique amorphous structure; however, the application of Zr-BMG-based medical devices is hindered by bacterial contamination. Here, a structure-element strategy is proposed to improve the antibacterial performance of Zr-BMGs by surface laser nanostructuring and silver nanoparticle (AgNP) deposition. The laser nanostructuring process generates a disordered nanoparticle structure (NP) and laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) to decrease the surface bacterial adhesion and increase the internal antimicrobial ion release. Moreover, after Ag deposition and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment, the antibacterial adhesion ability of the Zr-BMG surface can be further improved without any influence on the crystallization of Zr-BMGs and the release of antibacterial copper/nickel (Cu/Ni). The antibacterial effect of the LIPSS and the NP surfaces presents over 90% bacterial killing ratio, which is superior to that of the naked Zr-BMGs with less than 60% bacterial killing ratio. In vitro and in vivo tests show that the Ag-deposited and H2O2-treated LIPSS surfaces exhibit an optimal balance between the antibacterial property and the biocompatibility compared with the polished, NP structured or LIPSS structured surfaces. It is assumed that such structure-element surface modification strategy can improve the antibacterial activity of metal-containing surgical tools and orthopedic implants, improving the success rate of medical treatment.