Study of the Antibacterial Behavior of Wire Arc Sprayed Copper Coatings

Antibacterial surfaces such as silver and copper coated areas reduce risk of bacterial growth considerably. In this study, wire arc spraying has been utilized to produce an antibacterial copper coating with ultrafine microstructure on stainless steel substrate. The chemical composition, microstructure, and surface morphology of copper coatings were characterized with x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Determination of thickness and adhesion of the coating were investigated. The antibacterial property of copper coatings was analyzed by both gram negative Escherichia coli NCTC 10418 and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 11047. The antibacterial performance of coatings was compared to that of stainless steel 316 and a micrograin structure of the commercially available copper. Results indicated that the as-sprayed copper coatings have excellent antibacterial behavior compared to stainless steel and micrograin copper, which can be attributed to the presence of the ultrafine grain size, micropores, and crystallographic defects in the microstructure.

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