Most structural bioceramics are comprised of metallic oxides such as alumina and zirconia. They are generally considered to be completely bioinert, but a non-oxide ceramic, silicon nitride, achieves equivalent levels of mechanical reliability while being bioactive. Silicon nitride can not only stimulate cellular proliferation but it is also antipathogenic with demonstrated efficacy against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In this work, three physical vapor deposition coatings with different Si:N ratios (silicon-rich, stoichiometric, and nitrogen-rich) were deposited on mirror-polished silica glass substrates. The coatings were characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques and tested in vitro against E. coli and KUSA-A1 mesenchymal cells. Results showed that nitrogen-enriched Si_xN_y has a strong antibacterial effect against E. coli and contributes to cellular proliferation while silicon-enriched Si_xN_y stimulates the production of bone tissue, with higher indexes for mineralization and quality. These results suggest that Si_xN_y's biological properties can be optimized for specific applications by carefully tuning its surface chemistry.

大多数结构生物陶瓷都包含金属氧化物，例如氧化铝和氧化锆。它们通常被认为是完全生物惰性的，但是非氧化物陶瓷氮化硅在具有生物活性的同时达到了同等水平的机械可靠性。氮化硅不仅可以刺激细胞增殖，而且具有抗病原性，对革兰氏阳性和革兰氏阴性细菌，真菌和病毒具有有效的功效。在这项工作中，在镜面抛光的石英玻璃基板上沉积了三种具有不同Si：N比（富硅，化学计量和富氮）的物理气相沉积涂层。通过光谱和显微镜技术对涂层进行表征，并在体外针对大肠杆菌进行了测试和KUSA-A1间充质细胞。结果表明，富氮的Si _x N _y对大肠杆菌具有很强的抗菌作用，并有助于细胞增殖，而富硅的Si _x N _y刺激骨组织的产生，具有更高的矿化度和质量指标。这些结果表明，可以通过仔细调节表面化学性质来优化Si _x N _y的生物学特性，以用于特定应用。