Antibacterial Activity Studies of 3D-Printing Polyetheretherketone Substrates with Surface Growth of 2D TiO₂/ZnO Rodlike Arrays

Heterogeneous metal implants have been applied in clinical treatments of skeletal wounds, but their low antibacterial properties and the possibility of a release of metal ions may have harmful influences on the human body. Therefore, a polymer implant with low cost, high safety, an elastic modulus similar to that of human bone, and a good antibacterial property must be produced for orthopedic treatments. In this study, the surface of a 3D-printed polyetheretherketone (PEEK) disk was grown with ZnO/TiO₂rodlike arrays using a chemical bath deposition. X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy images showed that TiO₂/ZnO rodlike arrays were deposited onto the PEEK substrate. With the direct absorption of antibiotic agents onto the surface of TiO₂/ZnO/PEEK samples, their antibacterial performances greater than the values of minimum inhibitory concentration required to inhibit the growth of 90% of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) remained for around 10 days. The concentration of Zn²⁺ions in a buffer solution is reduced with the coating of a TiO₂layer on a ZnO rodlike array. The sample with absorption from a mixture containing ampicillin and vancomycin salts with a weight ratio of 1:1 had the best inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli and S. aureus.