Tantalum (Ta) and its application in biomaterials has been attracting more and more attention recently. It can be considered as a material for hard tissue implants. This study focuses on antimicrobial and surface characterization of micro‐arc oxidized (MAO) nanocrystalline Ta compared with its microcrystalline equivalent. For the purposes of the investigation, x‐ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), wetting analysis, optical profilometry, corrosion resistance measurement, and antimicrobial tests were performed. Nanocrystalline Ta was fabricated using high‐energy ball milling (HEBM) and pulse plasma sintering (PPS). The MAO process done at 250 V results in the formation of a porous oxide surface. An XRD analysis confirmed the presence of a Ta₂O₅ oxide layer. Based on the SEM pictures, the obtained oxide layer was approximately 3–4 μm thick for nanocrystalline Ta substrate. For microcrystalline Ta, the oxide layer was thinner, in the range of 0.3–0.6 μm. The analysis of polarization curves showed a significant improvement of corrosion resistance for MAO nanocrystalline Ta (2.62 × 10⁻⁸ A/cm²) versus not oxidized nanocrystalline Ta (1.20 × 10⁻⁵ A/cm²). The surface roughness of MAO nanocrystalline Ta proved to be several times higher than that of unoxidized Ta. Wetting analysis showed that the oxide layer on the nanocrystalline substrate is hydrophilic. This research provides detailed information about MAO microcrystalline and MAO nanocrystalline Ta antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A significant decrease of S. aureus for MAO nanocrystalline Ta (control 10,435 ± 981 vs. sample 3,453 ± 130) was noticed. No significant difference was noticed for MAO microcrystalline and nanocrystalline Ta tested for P. aeruginosa.

中文翻译：

---

通过微弧氧化工艺获得具有高亲水表面和抗菌性能的钽的开发

钽（Ta）及其在生物材料中的应用近年来越来越受到关注。它可以被认为是硬组织植入物的材料。本研究侧重于与微晶等效物相比，微弧氧化 (MAO) 纳米晶 Ta 的抗菌和表面表征。为了研究的目的，进行了 X 射线衍射 (XRD)、扫描电子显微镜 (SEM)、原子力显微镜 (AFM)、润湿分析、光学轮廓测量、耐腐蚀性测量和抗菌测试。使用高能球磨（HEBM）和脉冲等离子烧结（PPS）制造纳米晶钽。在 250 V 下进行的 MAO 工艺会形成多孔氧化物表面。XRD分析证实存在Ta ₂ O₅氧化层。根据 SEM 照片，纳米晶 Ta 衬底的氧化层厚度约为 3-4 μm。对于微晶 Ta，氧化层较薄，在 0.3-0.6 μm 范围内。极化曲线分析表明，与未氧化的纳米晶 Ta (1.20 × 10 ^-5 A/ cm ^{2 ) 相比，MAO 纳米晶 Ta (2.62 × 10 -8} A/cm ² )的耐腐蚀性显着提高）。MAO纳米晶Ta的表面粗糙度被证明是未氧化Ta的几倍。润湿分析表明，纳米晶衬底上的氧化层是亲水的。本研究提供了有关 MAO 微晶和 MAO 纳米晶 Ta 对金黄色葡萄球菌和铜绿假单胞菌的抗菌活性的详细信息。注意到 MAO 纳米晶 Ta（对照 10,435 ± 981 与样品 3,453 ± 130）的金黄色葡萄球菌显着减少。对于铜绿假单胞菌测试的 MAO 微晶和纳米晶 Ta 没有发现显着差异。