The procedure of evaluating the practical adhesion strength of new biocompatible nano- and micro-thin films in accordance with international standards

The possibilities of using newly developed nano- and micro-thin films in biomedicine are intensively studied at the present time. Many research institutions are looking for ways to evaluate mechanical properties of these films. One of the most important and frequently studied characteristics is practical adhesion. A very important method for evaluating the practical adhesion strength is scratch test. Often, however, the research teams use a method based on the disunity evaluation of adhesion of biocompatible surface layer. This makes the quantitative comparison of research results impossible. We designed and tested new evaluation method and procedure based on international standards in order to eliminate these problems. This article is aimed at showing the new possibility of using established standards for evaluating adhesion of nano- and micro-thin biocompatible films and at showing the application of the standards to evaluate the often studied DLC biocompatible layers. The thickness of the film was 470 nm. As a substrate a titanium alloy Ti6Al4V was used.