Abstract
The metallic medical devices has high shape stability and durability, but the effects of chemical changes in surface by ingredients inside the body are not negligible. Therefore, metallic medical devices are given surface treatment with carbonaceous thin films or the like. Accordingly, with the purpose of improving the biocompatibility of Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, we experimented with fabricating biomimetic multifunctional DLC films whose zeta potential is controlled. As a result, we discovered that reducing the Si content is effective for introduction of functional groups onto DLC films. We also succeeded in controlling the zeta potential on DLC surface, by controlling the amounts of anionic and cationic groups introduced. In addition, in assessing the blood compatibility, we found that the DLC surface's zeta potential correlates with the platelet adhesion characteristic and the blood coagulation characteristic; we thus discovered a possibility for optimizing DLC surface engineering. This indicated the possibility that biomimetic materials, multifunctional DLC films using plasma surface treatment techniques could be applied to develop stents and artificial organs with higher biocompatibility.
