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CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1810016
Original Article

Fabrication of Titanium Nitride Thin Film on Titanium Using Cathodic Arc Plasma Evaporation for Biomedical Application

Trung Van Trinh 
1   School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No.1 Dai Co Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam
,
Hung Thai Le
1   School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No.1 Dai Co Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam
,
Bang Le Thi 
1   School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No.1 Dai Co Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam
› Author Affiliations
Funding This research was funded by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) under project number B2024.BKA.15.
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Abstract

Objectives

Commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) is often used for biomedical implant devices but has low hardness and wear resistance; therefore, it is not suitable for use in the sliding parts or joints. Owing to their good wear resistance and biocompatibility, titanium nitride (TiN) coatings are used to improve these surface properties of Ti. This study aims to fabricate TiN on Cp-Ti by cathodic arc plasma evaporation and to investigate the effect of Cp-Ti substrate temperature on the properties of coated TiN thin films for biomedical applications.

Materials and Method

Coated TiN thin films were deposited on Cp-Ti at different substrate temperatures of 25, 100, 175, and 250°C. The surface morphology, roughness, phase composition, hardness, coating adhesion, and biocompatibility of the TiN coatings were investigated using a digital optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, hardness tester, and in vitro cell studies.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical differences were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's multiple comparison analysis, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results

Thin films with a primary TiN phase were formed on the surface of the Cp-Ti substrate regardless of substrate temperatures. There was no significant difference in surface hardness between the coated samples even though the sample coated at 100 and 175°C showed a slightly higher values, ranging from 193 to 199 HV. Interestingly, surface roughness and coating adhesion were significantly influenced by substrate temperature. The higher the substrate temperature, the greater the surface roughness, while the best adhesion, with the hardness of 176 HV, was obtained at substrate temperature of 25°C. In vitro cell study indicated that the baby hamster kidney cells on the coating surface have grown and proliferated better than those on the uncoated surface.

Conclusions

The TiN thin film was successfully coated on Ti by cathodic arc plasma evaporation at different substrate temperatures, ranging from 25 to 250°C. The adhesion of the coating at low substrate temperature (25°C) was the best compared to other substrate temperatures of 100, 175, and 250°C. In vitro cell studies have demonstrated the biocompatibility of the coated TiN thin film.

Keywords

biomedical application - cathodic arc plasma deposition - titanium - titanium nitride - thin film


Publication History

Article published online:
23 July 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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