Effect of hydrothermal treatment of titanium in high concentration of AgNO3 solution on surface morphology and roughness

Development of silver (Ag) modified titanium (Ti) as an antibacterial dental implant has recently been growing. Ag demonstrated an excellent antibacterial property without the risk of bacterial resistance. Hydrothermal treatment using AgNO3 solution is one of the facile and promising methods to modify Ti surface with Ag. However, the effect of high AgNO3 concentration and the absent of a toxic reduction agent has not been clearly studied. In this study, Ti surface was hydrothermally treated in 0.01 mol/L and 0.1 mol/L AgNO3 solutions at 150oC for 24 hours. Analysis of surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis suggested the formation of non-homogenous Ag coating with a tendency to be aggregated and thicken with the increase of AgNO3 concentration. The Ag coating deposited on Ti surface were composed of mainly metallic and some oxide forms. Surface roughness of all AgNO3 treated Ti surface was comparable based on the analysis of surface roughness parameter. In conclusion, hydrothermal treatment of Ti surface in solely AgNO3 solution at high concentration produced non-homogenous Ag coating on its surface without significantly changed surface roughness. Keywords: Silver nitrate, titanium, hydrothermal, surface morphology, roughness