High-entropy alloys (HEAs) contain more than five alloying elements in a composition range of 5–35% and with slight atomic size variation. Recent narrative studies on HEA thin films and their synthesis through deposition techniques such as sputtering have highlighted the need for determining the corrosion behaviors of such alloys used as biomaterials, for example, in implants. Coatings composed of biocompatible elements such as titanium, cobalt, chrome, nickel, and molybdenum at the nominal composition of Co30Cr20Ni20Mo20Ti10 were synthesized by means of high-vacuum radiofrequency magnetron (HVRF) sputtering. In scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, the coating samples deposited with higher ion densities were thicker than those deposited with lower ion densities (thin films). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results of the thin films heat treated at higher temperatures, i.e., 600 and 800 °C, revealed a low degree of crystallinity. In thicker coatings and samples without heat treatment, the XRD peaks were amorphous. The samples coated at lower ion densities, i.e., 20 µAcm−2, and not subjected to heat treatment yielded superior results in terms of corrosion and biocompatibility among all the samples. Heat treatment at higher temperatures led to alloy oxidation, thus compromising the corrosion property of the deposited coatings.
The effects of TiO2 nanotube (TNT) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) deposition onto titanium, which is widely used in dental implants, on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and preosteoblastic cells were evaluated. TNTs were formed through anodic oxidation on pure titanium, and rGO was deposited using an atmospheric plasma generator. The specimens used were divided into a control group of titanium specimens and three experimental groups: Group N (specimens with TNT formation), Group G (rGO-deposited specimens), and Group NG (specimens under rGO deposition after TNT formation). Adhesion of S. mutans to the surface was assessed after 24 h of culture using a crystal violet assay, while adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells, a mouse preosteoblastic cell line, were evaluated after 24 and 72 h through a water-soluble tetrazolium salt assay. TNT formation and rGO deposition on titanium decreased S. mutans adhesion (p < 0.05) and increased MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion and proliferation (p < 0.0083). In Group NG, S. mutans adhesion was the lowest (p < 0.05), while MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation was the highest (p < 0.0083). In this study, TNT formation and rGO deposition on a pure titanium surface inhibited the adhesion of S. mutans at an early stage and increased the initial adhesion and proliferation of preosteoblastic cells.