Title: Surface properties of nano-structural silicon-doped carbon films for biomedical applications

Authors: Shih-Fu Ou; Chin-Sung Chen; Hossein Hosseinkhani; Chih-Hua Yu; Yun-Dun Shen; Keng-Liang Ou

Addresses: Department of Mold and Die Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan; Research Center for Biomedical Devices and Prototyping Production, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan ' Department of Dentistry, Sijhih Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 221, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei 106, Taiwan ' Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech), Taipei 10607, Taiwan; Nanomedicine Research Center, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan ' Research Center for Biomedical Devices and Prototyping Production, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; Research Center for Biomedical Implants and Microsurgery Devices, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; Biomate Medical Devices Technology Co., Ltd., Kaohsiung 806, Taiwan ' Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei 235, Taiwan ' Research Center for Biomedical Devices and Prototyping Production, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; Research Center for Biomedical Implants and Microsurgery Devices, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei 235, Taiwan

Abstract: Hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) containing Si films were synthesised using the radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The results show that all Si-doped DLC films exhibited a similar amorphous structure as non-doped DLC films. Doping Si caused graphitisation of C and reduced the surface hardness. Moreover, the surface roughness of the films decreased with the Si content, which consequently decreased the water contact angle of the film surfaces. Such hydrophilic property reveals the possibility of applying Si-doped amorphous diamond-like carbon films as a bioactive treatment on biomedical implant surfaces.

Keywords: silicon films; diamond-like carbon; DLC films; chemical vapour deposition; CVD; nanotechnology; nanostructures; silicon doping; carbon films; biomedical implants; implant surfaces; graphitisation; surface hardness; surface roughness; surface quality; bioactive treatment; hydrophilic properties.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2013.058121

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2013 Vol.10 No.10/11, pp.945 - 958

Published online: 08 Dec 2013 *

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