Antibacterial Activity of Titanium Dioxide Composites for the Selective Laser Sintering Process

Antimicrobial properties of plastic components have become significant in everyday life. Titanium dioxide is a well-known representative of metal oxides, which have an antibacterial effect. The aim of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial properties resulting from the addition of titanium dioxide and the processing of the compounds with selective laser sintering. Compounds with 5, 10 and 15% titanium dioxide content and polyamide 12 as matrix material were fabricated. Test carriers were produced from the compounds, examined with a dry test and compared with virgin polyamide 12 components. Staphylococcus aureus was used as test bacteria. The test did not show any antibacterial effect with the given test parameters and the test method used.