Characterization of a Novel Zr-based Thin Film Metallic Glass Applied on 316 Stainless Steel Substrate

316 stainless steel is one of the alloys commonly used for surgical instruments. These tools, when in contact with bacteria, are highly prone to contamination. By applying coatings with antibacterial properties, this problem can be significantly mitigated. The purpose of this research is to design a novel Zr-based alloy with glass structure , possessing antibacterial properties, and apply it to 316 stainless steel. First,, an alloy with the chemical composition Zr30Cu20Al10Ag10Cr10Si10B10 was designed and produced using a SPS system. Next, thin layers of the alloy were deposited on 316 steel samples using a Magnetron Sputtering machine. The GIXRD tests indicated success in obtaining a completely amorphous structure. The antibacterial behavior of the created coating against two bacteria, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, was investigated. The results showed that the coating, due to the presence of Cu and Ag in the alloy, exhibited high antibacterial properties against these bacteria. Additionally, the application of the new coating can play an important role in the adhesion of various cancer cells to surgical tools made from 316 stainless steel, due to the reduction of substrate roughness by approximately 50%.Tests showed that the application of the coating reduced the free energy of the surface and thus increased the hydrophobicity of the surface, transforming the surface of 316 stainless steel from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Furthermore, the amorphous structure of the coating enhanced the corrosion resistance of the 316 steel in 3.5% NaCl solution. Therefore, applying the newly designed coating to biomedical steel tools is suggested.