Microstructural and Tribological Properties of ZrO2 Film Grown by DC Magnetron Sputtering Technique

To improve the mechanical and tribological properties of biomedical materials, biocompatible coatings are obtained on surfaces using various methods. In this study, ZrO2 thin films were deposited on CP-Ti material used as biomaterial by DC magnetron sputtering method. In this context, structural, mechanical, tribological and wettability properties of ZrO2 film coated on CP-Ti base material were investigated. X-ray diffraction method (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the crystallographic structure and surface morphology of the obtained film. Microhardness and wear tests were carried out to investigate the mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings. Additionally, contact angle measurements were made with pure water and ethylene glycol to determine the hydrophobicity and oleophobicity properties of the ZrO2 coated samples. The water contact angle and the oil contact angle of the film are 105.4° and 73.2, respectively. The results showed that ZrO2 coating film deposited on surfaces by DC magnetron sputtering method was more resistant to wear compared to bare CP-Ti.