Surface Coating Technologies and Functional Coatings for Orthodontic Archwires: A Review
Year: 2026
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Nickel–titanium and stainless steel orthodontic archwires are widely used because of their favorable mechanical properties; however, prolonged exposure to the oral environment may lead to corrosion, friction, bacterial adhesion, and metal ion release. Surface coating technologies have therefore become important for improving the biological and tribological performance of orthodontic materials. This review summarizes major coating methods used in orthodontics, including Physical Vapor Deposition, Chemical Vapor Deposition, chemical precipitation, and sol–gel techniques, together with titanium-, silver-, and zirconium-based coatings. In our study, TiN-Cu nanocoatings were fabricated on NiTi archwires using combined cathodic arc evaporation and DC magnetron sputtering. The obtained coatings showed improved corrosion resistance, reduced nickel ion release, favorable biocompatibility, and significant antibacterial activity against oral bacteria.
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214409270