Next-generation dental drills: Tribological and antibacterial behavior of AlTiN, AlCrCN, and TiCN coatings

Bakdemir S. A., Özkan D., Türküz C., SALMAN S.

Ceramics International, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.02.023
  • Dergi Adı: Ceramics International
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, INSPEC
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Antibacterial properties, arc-PVD coatings, Carbon-containing nitride coatings, Surface analysis, Wear characteristics
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigates arc-PVD AlTiN, AlCrCN, and TiCN coatings deposited on 440M stainless steel to improve the mechanical, tribological, and antibacterial performance of dental drills under dry and artificial-saliva conditions. The coatings were characterized using SEM/EDX, AFM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy confirming dense face-centered cubic (fcc) films with a thickness of ∼1.5 μm and nanoscale crystallite sizes of 7.45 nm (AlTiN), 7.25 nm (AlCrCN), and 4.97 nm (TiCN), as well as contact angles of 95.39°, 93.94°, and 89.10°, respectively. TiCN exhibited the highest hardness and elastic modulus (35.94 GPa and 444.33 GPa, respectively), the best wear-resistance index (H3/E2 ≈ 0.23), and the highest adhesion strength (Lc2 = 83.39 N). Tribological tests showed that carbon-rich TiCN maintained coating integrity in artificial saliva at 5 N, displaying the lowest friction and no oxidative wear signatures, while antibacterial assays demonstrated reduced E. coli viability for all coatings, with AlCrCN achieving the greatest reduction (28.75%). Overall, the results indicate that combining compositional design and surface topography engineering significantly enhances the tribological and antibacterial performance of dental drill coatings, with TiCN representing a promising candidate for future dental drilling tools.