Surface deposition of graphene layer for bioactivity improvement of biomedical 316 stainless steel

The direct deposition of graphene layer on biomedical 316 stainless steel can effectively enhance its surface biological activity. [Display omitted] •Graphene was directly grown on the surface of biomedical 316 type stainless steel.•Graphene deposition correlated with metallic Ni and Cr3C2 phases on surface.•Graphene promoted the adhesion and collagen secretion of mesenchymal stem cells. We first report on the direct deposition of transfer-free graphene layer on 316 type biomedical stainless steel (316 BSS) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The growth of graphene on BSS is considered to correlate with the surface Ni metal and Cr3C2 phases on 316 BSS. Further study shows that the graphene depositing layer can effectively promote the initial adhesion and collagen secretion of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on BSS surface. This surface modification with graphene may be applicable to other types of biomedical stainless steel as well and hold promise for stainless steel based biomedical applications.