Preparation, characterization and investigation of antibacterial silver-zinc co-doped β-tricalcium phosphate by spray pyrolysis

Abstract Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) has been applied in the fields of medical science owing to its osteoconductive properties which stimulate the growth of new bones. However, the material itself lacks of antibacterial properties which limits its applications. Thus, in this study antibacterial β-TCP specimens were proposed by Ag and Zn dopant. Preparation method of one-step spray pyrolysis was used with advantages of low contamination and continuous production over the sol-gel and wet chemical precipitation synthesis. The crystallographic structure, morphology and chemical composition of un-doped, Ag-doped and Ag/Zn co-doped β-TCP were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli was examined by colony count method. Finally, two dominant formation mechanisms were discussed and the antibacterial results indicate that the addition of Zinc nitrate precursor can enhance the activity of Ag/Zn co-doped β-TCP specimen.