Antimicrobial and wear performance of Cu-Zr-Al metallic glass composites

• Published in: Materials & design Vol. 115; pp. 93 - 102
• Main Authors: Villapún, Victor M., Zhang, H., Howden, C., Chow, L. Cheung, Esat, F., Pérez, P., Sort, J., Bull, S., Stach, J., González, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 05.02.2017
• Subjects: Amorphous materials; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial behaviour; Bacteria; Cracks; Grooves; Metallic glass composite; Metallic glasses; Nanoindentation; Scratch test; Scratch tests; Tribological properties; Wear; Metallic glass composite; Tribological properties; Scratch test; Nanoindentation; Antimicrobial behaviour
• ISSN: 0264-1275; 1873-4197
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2016.11.029

The antimicrobial and wear behaviour of metallic glass composites corresponding to the Cu50+x(Zr44Al6)50−x system with x=(0, 3 and 6) has been studied. The three compositions consist of crystalline phases embedded in an amorphous matrix and they exhibit crystallinity increase with increasing Cu content, i.e., decrease of the glass-forming ability. The wear resistance also increases with the addition of Cu as indirectly assessed from H/Er and H3/Er2 parameters obtained from nanoindentation tests. These results are in agreement with scratch tests since for the alloy with highest Cu content, i.e., Cu56Zr38.7Al5.3, reveals a crack increase, lower pile-up, prone adhesion wear in dry sliding and higher scratch groove volume to pile-up volume. Samples with higher Cu content revealed higher hydrophilicity. Time-kill studies revealed higher reduction in colony-forming units for E. coli (gram-negative) and B. subtilis (gram-positive) after 60min of contact time for the Cu56Zr38.7Al5.3 alloy and all the samples achieved a complete elimination of bacteria in 250min. [Display omitted] •The wear resistance increases with the addition of copper from 50 to 56at.%.•The contact angle values decrease with increasing Cu content.•Maximum antimicrobial behaviour and wear resistance is attained by the Cu56Zr38.7Al5.3 composition.