Antimicrobial activity of porous metal injection molded (MIM) 316L stainless steel by Zn, Cu and Ag electrodeposition

Abstract

<p>Porous 316L stainless steel samples were functionalized with electrodeposited zinc, copper, and silver coatings for antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (<em>S. aureus</em>). Porous stainless steel samples were created by combining metal injection molding (MIM) with a powder space holder (PSH) technique using sodium chloride (20 wt%) as a space holder material. Galvanostatic (0.10 A) electrodeposition was used for zinc, copper, and silver deposition, and antimicrobial activity of functionalized samples was evaluated using a touch test protocol with S. aureus. All electrodeposited samples completely prevented the growth of <em>S. aureus</em>. These results confirm that metal depositions only in the pores of the porous 316L were sufficient to inhibit the growth of <em>S. aureus</em> completely.<br></p>