In one aspect, the disclosure relates to protective, anti-bacterial coatings for medical implants and methods of making the same. Also disclosed herein are methods for improving the anti-bacterial properties of a medical device coated with silicon carbide (SiC) or titanium nitride (TiN). Further disclosed herein are medical devices including an anti-microbial layer prepared by the disclosed methods. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.