Patent ID: 9649338
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: A61K,A61L

Claim:
1. An article that is implantable in an animal, the article comprising a microparticulate silver-containing antimicrobial layer stably adhered upon at least one surface of the article, the layer having a proximal zone and a distal zone, wherein the distal zone comprises silver oxide microparticles, wherein the rates of release of silver ions from the proximal zone and distal zone are different upon implanting the article in the animal, wherein the antimicrobial layer is formed on and stably adhered to the surface of the article by sputtering silver oxide microparticles onto the surface; wherein said antimicrobial layer is a continuous layer of 10 nm to 10,000 nm thickness and is applied at room temperature, and wherein the rates of release are controlled by the bond strength of the silver oxide microparticle crystal structure and wherein the silver oxide microparticle crystal structure is dependent upon the oxygen partial pressure and deposition rate of the sputtering process.