Photo-thermal antibacterial properties have attracted much attention in the biomedical field because of their higher antibacterial efficiency. Through fabricating micro-arc oxidation coatings with different treating current densities set on a Mg-Zn-Ca alloy, the present study tried to systematically investigate and optimize the corrosion resistance and photo-thermal antibacterial properties of MAO coatings. The results indicated that different current densities had great influence on the corrosion resistance and photo-thermal property of the MAO coatings, and a current density at 30 A·dm-2 exhibited the best corrosion resistance, light absorption capacity at 808 nm, and photo-thermal capability, simultaneously with good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). This photo-thermal property of MAO coatings was probably related to the effect of current density on MgO content in the coating that could promote the separation of photo-generated electron carriers and hinder the recombination of photo-generated electron carriers and holes.
Keywords: anti-bacteria; corrosion resistance; magnesium alloy; micro-arc oxidation; photo-thermal therapy.