Hemocompatibility of C-N films fabricated by ion beam assisted deposition

Biocompatible films have great practical potentialities in biomedical field. They are often used on blood-contacting occasions such as intraluminal metallic stents and artificial heart valves for the purpose of hemocompatibility improvements. In this paper, C-N films were synthesized on Si(111) wafers by means of ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Surface composition, bonding types and surface roughness were addressed by AES, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In vitro measurements of contact angle, dynamic clotting time and platelet consumption rate were used to evaluate the blood compatibility of C-N film in comparison with that of NiTi and 316L. The results indicate that the blood compatibility of C-N film is superior to that of NiTi alloy and 316L stainless steel. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.