Bioinspired Surface Functionalization of Titanium Alloy for Enhanced Lubrication and Bacterial Resistance

In clinics it is extremely important for implanted devices to achieve the property of enhanced lubrication and bacterial resistance; however, such a strategy has rarely been reported in previous literature. In the present study, a surface functionalization method, motivated by articular cartilage-inspired superlubrication and mussel-inspired adhesion, was proposed to modify titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) using the copolymer (DMA–MPC) synthesized via free radical copolymerization. The copolymer-coated Ti6Al4V (Ti6Al4V@DMA–MPC) was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, water contact angle, and Raman spectra to confirm that the DMA–MPC copolymer was successfully coated onto the Ti6Al4V substrate. In addition, the tribological test, with the polystyrene microsphere and Ti6Al4V or Ti6Al4V@DMA–MPC as the tribopair, indicated that the friction coefficient was greatly reduced for Ti6Al4V@DMA–MPC. Furthermore, the bacterial resistance test showed that bacterial attachment was significantly inhibited for Ti6Al4V...