SiCxNyOz Coatings Enhance Endothelialization and Bactericidal activity and Reduce Blood Cell Activation.

For biomedical applications, a number of ceramic coatings have been investigated, but the interactions with the components of living system remain unexplored for oxycarbonitride coatings. While addressing this aspect, the present study aims to provide an understanding of the biocompatibility of novel SiCxNyOz coatings that could validate the hypothesis that such coatings may not only enhance the cell-material interaction by re-endothelialization but also can help to reduce bacterial adhesion and activation of blood cells. This work reports the physicochemical properties, hemocompatibility, endothelialization, and antibacterial properties of novel amorphous SiCxNyOz coatings deposited on commercial pure titanium (Ti) by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at varied nitrogen (N2) flow rates. A comparison is made with diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings, which are clinically used. The surface roughness, surface wettability, nanoscale hardness, and surface energy of SiCxNyOz coatings were found to be dependent on the nitrogen (N2) flow rate. Importantly, the as-deposited SiCxNyOz coatings exhibited much better nanoscale hardness and scratch resistance than DLC coatings. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy analysis of the SiCxNyOz c...Continue Reading