Effect of Nitrogen Ratio on Structural, Electrical and Cell Adhesion Properties of TiZrN Thin Films Deposited at Room Temperature by Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

In this paper, we report the structural and electrical properties of TiZrN thin films deposited by dc-magnetron sputtering under a working pressure of 0.67 Pa at room temperature. The phase structure, crystallinity, morphology, electrical properties, and hydrophilicity of TiZrN films were found to be strongly dependent on the nitrogen gas ratio of N₂/(Ar+N₂). In vitro Baby hamster kidney (BHK) cell adhesion on the TiZrN films was also tested for primary biocompatibility evaluation. The sputtered films exhibit a single-phase structure of (Ti, Zr)N_x without the presence of secondary phases such as TiN_x or ZrN_x. The lowest surface resistivity and resistivity values are observed in the films deposited at a 10% nitrogen ratio, with values of 12 Ω/□ and 1.79 × 10⁻⁵ Ω.m, respectively. TiZrN films deposited at different nitrogen ratios between 3–30% show hydrophilic properties, with contact angles ranging from 60 to 83 degrees. In vitro BHK cell test indicated that TiZrN films possess excellent biocompatibility. With the interesting performances indicated, TiZrN films have great potential for electrode applications and biomedical implants.