Enhanced antibacterial behavior of a novel Cu-bearing high-entropy alloy. (1st August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ren, Guangyu; Huang, Lili; Hu, Kunling; Li, Tianxin; Lu, Yiping; Qiao, Dongxu; Zhang, Haitao; Xu, Dake; Wang, Tongmin; Li, Tingju; Liaw, Peter K.
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials science & technology. Volume 117(2022)
• Page Start: 158
• Page End: 166
• Publication Date: 2022-08-01
• Subjects: High-entropy alloy -- Antibacterial property -- Corrosion resistance -- Mechanical property; Metals -- Periodicals; Materials science -- Periodicals; Materials science; Metals; Periodicals; 620.1105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2022.02.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1005-0302

Abstract

Highlights: Antibacterial behavior and corrosion resistance of two novel Co0.4 FeCr0.9 Cu0.3 and Co0.4 FeCr0.9 Cu0.5 Cu-bearing HEAs were analyzed. The antibacterial rates of the alloys against E. coli or S. aureus can achieve 99.97 % after 24 h. The Co0.4 FeCr0.9 Cu0.3 in the as-cast condition have the similar corrosion resistance to the 304 SS and 304-Cu SS. The Co0.4 FeCr0.9 Cu0.3 alloy shows excellent combination of antibacterial and mechanical properties. The addition of Cu to the HEAs can improve the antibacterial properties without sacrificing mechanical properties. Abstract: Contact infection of bacteria and viruses has been a critical threat to human health. The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 put forward urgent requirements for the research and development of the self-antibacterial materials, especially the antibacterial alloys. Based on the concept of high-entropy alloys, the present work designed and prepared a novel Co0.4 FeCr0.9 Cu0.3 antibacterial high-entropy alloy with superior antibacterial properties without intricate or rigorous annealing processes, which outperform the antibacterial stainless steels. The antibacterial tests presented a 99.97% antibacterial rate against Escherichia coli and a 99.96% antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus after 24 h. In contrast, the classic antibacterial copper-bearing stainless steel only performed the 71.50% and 80.84% antibacterial rate, respectively. The results of the reactive oxygen species analysis indicated that the copper ion release and the immediate contact with copper-rich phase had a synergistic effect in enhancing antibacterial properties. Moreover, this alloy exhibited excellent corrosion resistance when compared with the classic antibacterial stainless steels, and the compression test indicated the yield strength of the alloy was 1015 MPa. These findings generate fresh insights into guiding the designs of structure-function-integrated antibacterial alloys.