Fabrication of oxide layer on zirconium by micro-arc oxidation: Structural and antimicrobial characteristics

The aim of this study was to cover the surfaces of zirconium (Zr) with an antimicrobial layer for biomedical applications. For this purpose, the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process was employed in a sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide containing base electrolyte with and without addition of silver acetate (AgC₂H₃O₂). In general, synthesized MAO layers were composed of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) and zircon (ZrSiO₄). Addition of AgC₂H₃O₂ into the base electrolyte caused homogenous precipitation of silver-containing particles in the MAO layer, which exhibited excellent antibacterial efficiency against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as compared to the untreated and MAO-treated Zr.