Page 49 - MSAM-4-1

Materials Science in

Additive Manufacturing

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Understanding the antibacterial efficacy of

additively manufactured copper-added 316L
stainless steel

Michael B. Myers and Amit Bandyopadhyay*

W. M. Keck Biomedical Materials Research Lab, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America

Abstract

In response to the growing demand for advanced materials with inherent infection
resistance, this research investigates the properties of 316L stainless steel with
copper, produced through laser-directed energy deposition additive manufacturing.
The study focuses on three compositions: pure 316L, 316L with 3 wt.% Cu, and 316L
with 5 wt.% Cu. Compressive strength measurements and Vickers hardness tests were
conducted to assess mechanical properties, while microstructural characterization
and X-ray diffraction analysis provided insights into the material’s physical properties.
This research extends beyond physical and mechanical properties by exploring the
on-contact antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa up to 72 h. The addition of Cu reduced the ability of bacterial colonization
of both strains on the metal surface. The findings of this investigation have the
*Corresponding author:
Amit Bandyopadhyay potential to benefit the biomedical devices, contributing to both structural and
(amitband@wsu.edu) biofunctional properties of materials.
Citation: Myers MB,
Bandyopadhyay A. Understanding
the antibacterial efficacy of Keywords: 316L stainless steel; Directed energy deposition; Additive manufacturing;
additively manufactured copper- Copper; Infection control
added 316L stainless steel. Mater
Sci Add Manuf. 2024;4(1):7357.
doi: 10.36922/msam.7357
Received: December 12, 2025 1. Introduction
Revised: January 14, 2025 Approximately 2 million fracture fixation devices are inserted annually in the United
Accepted: January 24, 2025 States, amounting to a market value of US$3.6 billion. These devices, such as screws,
1,2
Published Online: February 26, rods, and plates, are implanted within the body to facilitate healing and strengthen
2025 injured limbs. However, infections associated with implanted devices can lead to
3
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). severe complications, with 25% of infected patients dying within five years. Implants
This is an Open-Access article can potentially introduce foreign bacteria to the surgical site, leading to complications
distributed under the terms of the such as delayed healing and necessitating additional surgeries. Revision surgeries can be
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, traumatic and costly for patients, as reimplanted devices have an infection rate that is
and reproduction in any medium, several times higher than that of first-time implants. Furthermore, the median cost for
1
provided the original work is
4
properly cited. treatment of a surgical site infection is approximately US$108,000. Therefore, reducing
the risk of infection is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Metallic materials are frequently favored over ceramics and polymers for implant
regard to jurisdictional claims in 5
published maps and institutional production due to their superior strength and fatigue resistance. Implant materials
affiliations. experience not just static loading but also dynamic loads associated with joints and

Volume 4 Issue 1 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/msam.7357