Silver Nano-Trees Deposited in the Pores of Anodically Oxidized Titanium and Ti Scaffold

Abstract

The authors present a possibility of growing silver nano-trees in the pits and voids of a titanium surface. The titanium samples used in the experiments were prepared via two different processing paths - by anodic oxidation and powder metallurgy. In the first case a porous Ti oxide surface was formed, whereas in the second case a Ti void composite of the porosity of approx. 70% was formed. Electrochemical deposition using HNO3 + AgNO3 mixture leads to a formation of Ag nano-trees that are embedded in the pores. The Ag nano-trees, which are fixed in the pits and voids, should be promising in antibacterial application. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.