Stainless steel is a material that is commonly used in brackets and arch wires during orthodontic treatment. However, the high frictional resistance that occurs between stainless steel/stainless steel can reduce the efficiency of orthodontics. Developing protective films is a simple and effective method that can produce low friction in saliva environment. In this study, we investigated the respective mechanical and tribological behaviors of pure TaN film, TaCuN solid solution film and TaN/Cu nanocomposite film. Hardness tests showed that the hardness of TaN and TaN/Cu are approximately 15.6 and 7.3 GPa, respectively. However, TaCuN film has a higher hardness of about 17.6 GPa, which contributes to its excellent wear resistance. The hydrolysis reaction of TaCuN film during friction process turns the saliva environment into a solution containing oxide colloid particles. Moreover, during friction, a Cu₂O-induced hydrophobic surface appears. As a result of the colloidal solution with double electric layer repulsion generated by this process and the saliva-lubricating film absorption of the hydrophobic surface, the TaCuN film achieves outstanding tribological properties, with a friction coefficient and wear rate of 0.045 and 1.18 × 10^-9 mm³/Nm, respectively. In addition, biological experiments confirm that the TaCuN film is a material with non-toxic and good biocompatibility and that it demonstrates stronger antibacterial ability than stainless steel. Depositing the TaCuN solid-solution film on the arch wires represents an effective approach for the surface modification of orthodontic appliances. Furthermore, TaCuN film could potentially be applied as a protective film in the field of dental treatment.

不锈钢是正畸治疗中托槽和弓丝常用的材料。然而，不锈钢/不锈钢之间产生的高摩擦阻力会降低正畸的效率。开发保护膜是一种简单有效的方法，可以在唾液环境中产生低摩擦。在本研究中，我们分别研究了纯 TaN 薄膜、TaCuN 固溶体薄膜和 TaN/Cu 纳米复合薄膜的力学和摩擦学行为。硬度测试表明，TaN 和 TaN/Cu 的硬度分别约为 15.6 和 7.3 GPa。然而，TaCuN 薄膜具有较高的硬度，约为 17.6 GPa，这有助于其优异的耐磨性。TaCuN 薄膜在摩擦过程中的水解反应将唾液环境变成含有氧化物胶体颗粒的溶液。此外，在摩擦过程中，Cu₂ O诱导的疏水表面出现。由于该过程产生具有双电层排斥的胶体溶液和疏水表面的唾液润滑膜吸收，TaCuN膜实现了优异的摩擦学性能，摩擦系数和磨损率分别为0.045和1.18×10 ^{- 9}毫米³/Nm，分别。此外，生物实验证实，TaCuN薄膜是一种无毒且生物相容性好的材料，并且表现出比不锈钢更强的抗菌能力。在弓丝上沉积 TaCuN 固溶体薄膜是一种有效的正畸器具表面改性方法。此外，TaCuN 薄膜有可能用作牙科治疗领域的保护膜。