Characterization and electrochemical behavior of ZrO2/CSZ coated 316L SS before and after incubation with calcium precipitating oral bacteria

Ceria stabilized zirconia (CSZ) and zirconia (ZrO2) were deposited by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) technique. The tetragonal and monoclinic phases of CSZ and ZrO2 were confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Smooth surface topography with equally distributed grains was observed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation. Calcium carbonate/phosphate precipitation by Paenibacillus sp. oral bacteria (CPOB) was isolated and identified. Biomineralization study was carried out to determine the apatite formation behavior of the samples and the results revealed that high degree of apatite formation was occurred on coated substrates rather than bare 316 L SS samples. Further, electrochemical corrosion analysis was conducted in presence and absence of oral bacteria. The results revealed that the samples containing bacteria showed improved corrosion resistance behavior due to the formation of calcite precipitation.