Hemocompatibility and anti-bacterial properties of silver doped diamond-like carbon prepared by pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

Recent studies have shown that diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are suitable as surface coatings on biomedical devices. Doping of DLC with selective elements is an attractive method to enhance the biological and other properties of DLC. In this work, DLC films doped with silver (Ag) were deposited employing pulsed filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA). Silver was chosen as the dopant because of its anti-bacterial properties. The structure and surface properties of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and contact angle test whereas the biocompatibility of the Ag-doped DLC films was evaluated by platelet adhesion and anti-bacterial tests. Good platelet adhesion results were obtained from samples deposited using certain parameters and their biocompatibility was found to be better than that of the control sample made of low-temperature isotropic carbon (LTIC). Our results demonstrate that the Ag-doped DLC films are potentially useful biomaterials having both good blood compatibility and antimicrobial characteristics.