Papers by Author: M.E. Contreras-García

Abstract: The ability of nanostructured TiO2 in anatase phase to eliminate Escherichia coli (E. coli) by UV light irradiation was tested using titania films supported on glass substrates. The films were obtained by electrophoretic deposition of titania sol on sputtered Ti Corning glass substrates. Experimental procedure used to obtain these films and their characterizations are discussed in this paper. Nanostructure nature of the films was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Optic microscopy was used to study the photocatalytic activity of films and their interaction with E. coli bacteria, in order to measure the reduction in E. coli colonies. The structure of anatase TiO2 was determined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction.

Abstract: In recent years the use of ceramic coatings to reduce metallic corrosion has been greatly improved. It has been proved by several studies that coating of TiO2, ZrO2, SiO2, and other oxides or mixed oxides provide efficient protection against the corrosion of stainless steel in different media. In this work, alumina and zirconia films were obtained by electrophoretic deposition to investigate their use as protective coatings of 316L-Stainless steel for prostheses and dental implants. These were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GID), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion behaviour in Hank’s solution at room temperature was studied using a potentiodynamic polarization technique. The electrochemical measurements showed a high corrosion resistance of 316L-SS coated by both types of ceramic film. The best behaviour was presented by the alumina coating. The morphologies of the corroded films showed that the alumina and zirconia films presented low damage with little pitting corrosion compared with the uncoated 316L-SS.