Obtaining useful properties of different materials by using magnetron sputtering

The objective of this work was to alter the surface morphology of materials such as textiles, metals, glass by using magnetron sputtering deposition in order to get new useful properties. This coating technique was chosen because it is very clean, nontoxic, and produces no chemical contamination compared to other methods, such as spraying and electroplating.¹ Antibacterial properties of textiles after coating with copper, silver, and titanium were examined using the test microorganisms Escherichia coli ATCC-25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-25923 according to the standard protocol for the parallel streak method (AATCC-TM-147) and suspension test (ASTME-2149). Not only were the antibacterial properties of coated textiles investigated, but their surface wettability was studied as well. It was seen that copper coated textiles gained hydrophobic properties similar to textiles coated with silver.² The electrical conductivity change of non-woven textiles before and after coating was also studied. A dramatic resistance decrease was observed after silver coating was done on non-woven fabric. The optical transmittance and resistivity of microscope glass slides were also studied after ITO and silver coatings. Cluster formation in the ITO coatings was observed as in previous studies.³ The reduction of sheet resistance of ITO-Ag-ITO multilayer in comparison with ITO monolayer resistance was also observed. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of coated surfaces were taken to examine their surface morphology.