Carbon nitride thin films as protective coatings for biomaterials: synthesis, mechanical and biocompatibility characterizations

Abstract Amorphous carbon nitride thin films have been deposited on Ti6Al4V by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering and by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII). The aim of this study is to identify deposition conditions for which the mechanical and biological properties of deposited films can lead to application in biocompatible protective coatings. In magnetron sputtering, the target is made of graphite and the plasma is a mixture of argon and nitrogen. In PIII process, the deposition mechanism is a combination of an implantation–diffusion process and a chemical vapor deposition using a CH 4 and N 2 plasma. The process has been shown to lead to the deposition of a carbon nitride coating. The mechanical properties have been investigated using in situ tensile tests performed in a scanning electron microscope. The study focussed particularly on the first steps of the damage process. The surface energy has been assessed by the drop contact angle measurements and surface is shown to be hydrophilic. This explains the good biological behavior determined by in vitro cell adhesion kinetics.

[1]  Shigehisa Yamamoto,et al.  Establishment of a clonal osteogenic cell line from newborn mouse calvaria , 1981 .

[2]  J. Mendez,et al.  Influence of thin coatings deposited by a dynamic ion mixing technique on the fatigue life of TITANIUM ALLOYS , 1999 .

[3]  Maxence Bigerelle,et al.  In vitro MC3T3 osteoblast adhesion with respect to surface roughness of Ti6Al4V substrates. , 2002, Biomolecular engineering.

[4]  J. Soria,et al.  Hyaluronectin blocks the stimulatory effect of hyaluronan‐derived fragments on endothelial cells during angiogenesis in vitro , 1997, FEBS letters.

[5]  J. Perrière,et al.  Transport number measurements during plasma anodization of Si, GaAs, and ZrSi2 , 1986 .

[6]  G. Radnóczi,et al.  Carbon nitride films on orthopedic substrates , 2000 .

[7]  P. Tessier,et al.  Effect of nitrogen incorporation in CNx thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering , 2002 .

[8]  F. Cui,et al.  A review of investigations on biocompatibility of diamond-like carbon and carbon nitride films , 2000 .

[9]  F. Lévy,et al.  Structural and mechanical properties of CN x thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering , 2000 .

[10]  Jef A. Helsen,et al.  Metals as Biomaterials , 1998 .

[11]  I. Hutchings,et al.  Properties of carbon nitride films deposited by magnetron sputtering , 1998 .

[12]  L. Marot,et al.  High temperature plasma based ionic implantation of titanium alloys and silicon , 2002 .

[13]  P. Tessier,et al.  Surface and bulk characterizations of CNx thin films made by r.f. magnetron sputtering , 2002 .

[14]  H. F. Hildebrand,et al.  Einfluss des Vanadiumgehalts von Ti-Al-V-Legierungen , 2001 .