Selected Physicochemical Properties of Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) Coating on Ti-13Nb-13Zr Alloy Used for Blood Contacting Implants

Abstract

Despite high interest in the issues of hemocompatibility of titanium implants, particularly those made of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy, the applied methods of surface modification still do not always guarantee the physicochemical properties required for their safe operation. The factors that reduce the efficiency of the application of titanium alloys in the treatment of conditions of the cardiovascular system include blood coagulation and fibrous proliferation within the vessel’s internal walls. They result from their surfaces’ physicochemical properties not being fully adapted to the specifics of the circulatory system. Until now, the generation and development mechanics of these adverse processes are not fully known. Thus, the fundamental problem in this work is to determine the correlation between the physicochemical properties of the diamond like carbon (DLC) coating (shaped by the technological conditions of the process) applied onto the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy designed for contact with blood and its hemocompatibility. In the paper, microscopic metallographic, surface roughness, wettability, free surface energy, hardness, coating adhesion to the substrate, impendence, and potentiodynamic studies in artificial plasma were carried out. The surface layer with the DLC coating ensures the required surface roughness and hydrophobic character and sufficient pitting corrosion resistance in artificial plasma. On the other hand, the proposed CrN interlayer results in better adhesion of the coating to the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy. This type of coating is an alternative to the modification of titanium alloy surfaces using various elements to improve the blood environment’s hemocompatibility.

Recent Developments in Blood-Compatible Superhydrophobic Surfaces

“…Other commonly adopted high-quality coating methods include vacuum deposition and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [ 45 , 49 , 52 ]. Again, pre-treatments such as plasma etching can still be applied.…”

“…Glass is another common substrate used to develop coatings [ 39 , 40 ]. Lightweight metals and alloys with high stability and safety, such as Mg alloys [ 41 , 42 ] and Ti and its alloys [ 43 , 44 , 45 ], are also common substrates. Notably, titanium and titanium alloys are widely applied in biomedical devices, such as cardiovascular stents, lead wires, and artificial blood pumps as a result of their biocompatibility [ 46 ].…”

Design and preparation of an artificial vascular scaffold with internal surface modification

“…Physical methods such as changing the porosity, roughness, and hydrophilicity of internal surface of vascular scaffolds can improve the adhesion of vascular scaffold internal surface and reduce the formation of thrombosis 20,21 . Liu et al 22 .…”

“…Physical methods such as changing the porosity, roughness, and hydrophilicity of internal surface of vascular scaffolds can improve the adhesion of vascular scaffold internal surface and reduce the formation of thrombosis. 20,21 Liu et al 22 treated the inner wall of the vascular scaffold by beam interference so that a periodic microstructure was formed on the inner surface of the vascular scaffold. The experimental results showed that the endothelialization process of the treated vascular scaffolds could be completed quickly, the probability of thrombus blockage in vivo was greatly reduced and the long-term patency rate was improved.…”

Effect of the energy of hydrocarbon ions on diamond-like carbon films deposited on alumina microparticles through repeated pulsed discharge in hollow cathode with methane gas

“…Previous studies on the deposition characteristics of DLC were mainly carried out on the surface of carbon, silicon and metal materials [11,12,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Due to the different crystal structure of alumina, the surface barrier is different, and the influence law and physical mechanism of ion energy are not clear at present.…”