This work presents results on the influence of thickness on the structure and biological response of Cu-O coatings deposited on commercially pure titanium (cpTi) substrates using direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. The deposition times were 5, 10, and 15 min to obtain coatings with different thicknesses. The results show that the films deposited for 5, 10, and 15 min correspond to thicknesses of 41, 74, and 125 nm, respectively. The phase composition of the coatings is in the form of a double-phase structure of CuO and Cu₂O in all considered cases. The roughness is on the nanometric scale and no obvious trend as a function of the thickness can be observed for the deposited films. Also, it was found that, with an increase in the thickness of the films, the distribution of the heights becomes closer to symmetrical. The antimicrobial efficacy of different Cu-O-coated cpTi substrates was examined using a direct contact experiment. A possible bactericidal effect was investigated by inoculating a 200 μL bacterial suspension on CuO-coated cpTi and cpTi (control) for 24 h at 37 °C. The results showed that Cu-O-coated cpTi substrates have a 50%–60% higher antimicrobial activity than the substrate. At the same time, human osteosarcoma (MG-63) cells growing on Cu-O-coated cpTi substrates showed 80% viability following 24 h incubation. Depending on magnetron sputtering process parameters, a different coating thickness, various crystallite phase compositions, and diverse biocompatibility were obtained.

Orthodontic archwires are among the most important devices of fixed orthodontic therapy. Many types of archwires are made available on the market by various manufacturers with different elemental composition and structural characteristics. Knowing this information is important when choosing a suitable archwire for a particular stage of orthodontic treatment. The aim of our study is to characterize a new type orthodontic archwires (TriTanium^TM, American Orthodontics) before their placement in the oral cavity. To achieve the aim, we used modern methods for determining their elemental composition and structural characteristics: laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIBS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results obtained from the qualitative elemental analysis by LIBS and the quantitative elemental analysis by EDX showed that Ni and Ti are the main elements in the archwire studied. The room-temperature XRD patterns showed peaks typical for a Ni-Ti alloy with an austenite-type structure. Monitoring the phase transitions by means of DSC measurements in the temperature range from –50 °C to +50 °C, we showed that in TriTanium^TM archwires, besides the austenite to martensite transition, there exists a rhombohedral intermediate phase (R phase). This study will be useful in assisting orthodontists in applying appropriate nickel-titanium orthodontic archwires in the clinical practice.

Ti–Nb alloys are widely recognized as highly promising materials for orthodontic applications due to their excellent functional properties, including superior biocompatibility and a relatively low Young’s modulus that better matches that of human bone. The formation of Ti–Nb surface alloys or surface-modified layers is particularly attractive, as the surface properties of biomedical materials strongly influence their mechanical and biological interactions during service. In the present study, Ti-Nb coatings were fabricated on commercially pure titanium substrates using an electron beam surface treatment (EBST) technique. Initially, a 1 μm thick Nb layer was deposited onto the Ti substrates by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. Subsequently, the samples were modified through scanning electron beam irradiation, with beam power varied between 1000 and 2000 W to promote Ti-Nb alloyed layers. The phase composition of the resulting structures was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Microstructural characteristics and chemical composition were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Mechanical properties were evaluated in terms of hardness and Young’s modulus. The findings of this study demonstrate the feasibility of tailoring the structural and mechanical properties of Ti–Nb surface alloys through controlled electron-beam processing and support their further investigation for potential orthodontic and dental applications.

In the present work, the incorporation of Nb in the volume of weld seams during electron beam welding of Al6082-T6 plates was investigated. The Nb was introduced into the weld seam in the form of a direct current (DC) magnetron-sputtered filler. The experiments were conducted with different technical parameters where the power of the heat source was constant, but the geometry of the oscillation of the electron beam was varied. In the first case, circular oscillation was used with a radius r_osc = 0.2 mm, and in the second case, elliptical beam oscillation was used with a length l = 2 mm and a width d = 0.2 mm. The structure of the samples and some mechanical properties were investigated. A mathematical model was prepared, and the obtained results were comparable to the experimentally obtained ones. Using circular oscillation, poor miscibility of the aluminum and niobium, poor melting of the Nb filler, and a high concentration of defects were observed. No intermetallic compounds (IMCs) were detected in this case. In the case of applying elliptical beam oscillation, excellent miscibility between aluminum and niobium was achieved, and a homogeneous spread of Al₃Nb intermetallics along the entire volume of the weld seam was achieved. This increased the density of the joint by minimizing the formation of defects, such as solidification pores, and by decreasing the size of the secondary phase particles within the weld seam from 33.11–61.41 µm to 3.63–7.75 µm. This resulted in an increase in the mechanical properties, with the average hardness of the fusion zone going from 72.6 ± 3.3 HV to 83.4 ± 3.5 HV and the average tensile strength going from 225 ± 8 MPa to 275 ± 8 MPa.

The development of titanium-based surface alloys and coatings that combine extreme hardness with sufficient toughness remains a major challenge for components operating under severe friction and wear conditions. In this work, titanium–boride composite coatings were synthesized on commercially pure titanium by scanning electron beam surface alloying of preplaced boron. The influence of beam power (900, 1200, and 1500 W) on phase formation, microstructural evolution, and mechanical performance was systematically investigated. At 900 W, insufficient melting resulted in chemically and structurally heterogeneous coatings containing unreacted boron. Increasing the beam power to 1200 W promoted the formation of TiB and TiB₂ phases, leading to a maximum microhardness of approximately 5500 HV_0.2. At 1500 W, complete boron incorporation produced a graded architecture consisting of a Ti/TiB surface layer and a TiB₂-rich sublayer. This hierarchical microstructure exhibited a favorable combination of high hardness and the lowest coefficient of friction (0.21), representing a reduction of more than 50% compared with the untreated titanium substrate. These findings establish a clear relationship between electron beam processing conditions, microstructural development, and mechanical performance, demonstrating that scanning electron beam surface alloying is an effective strategy for tailoring high-performance Ti–B composite surfaces. The developed coatings show strong potential for aerospace and other advanced engineering applications requiring lightweight materials with high hardness and low friction.