TY - JOUR
T1 - Biomechanical Characteristics of Silver Enriched Diamond-like Carbon Coatings for Medical Applications
AU - Zia, Abdul Wasy
AU - Anestopoulos, Ioannis
AU - Panagiotidis, Mihalis I.
AU - Bowen, Leon
AU - Birkett, Martin
N1 - Funding information: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 885534. The work was carried during AWZ’s MSCA-IF Fellowship at Northumbria University, UK from 02/2021–02/2023.
PY - 2023/10/5
Y1 - 2023/10/5
N2 - Silver enriched diamond-like carbon (Ag/DLC) coatings are gaining a reputation for medical applications as Ag doping improves the intrinsic biocompatibility and antimicrobial features of DLC, and higher Ag amounts improve its hemocompatibility and growth inhabitation of tumours etc. However, higher Ag amounts in DLC coatings can also lead to increased cytotoxic effects. This work presents the co-sputter deposition of Ag-enriched DLC coatings with 17, 40, and 65 at% Ag in a DLC matrix. The structural and mechanical properties of the coatings are studied with field emission scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, contact surface profiler, and nanoindentation. The biocompatibility of 72 h and 168 h leached extracts of Ag/DLC coatings are assessed through Ag ion release rates in Dulbecco's modified eagle medium using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and their corresponding biocompatibility profiles are mapped against the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line. EDX mapping shows a throughout distribution of Ag in DLC matrix instead of localization distributions and clustering. The XRD diffraction peaks reflect the amorphous-like behaviour of 17 at% Ag/DLC and prominent Ag crystallinity for 40 and 65 at% Ag/DLC coatings. The leached Ag ions concentration of 8 ppm demonstrated by the 65 at% Ag/DLC coating completely diminishes its biocompatibility. The results suggest that 17 at% Ag enriched DLC coatings are a safe candidate for biomedical application and retain biocompatibility when treated with extracts prepared over prolonged ion leaching periods of 168 h, when compared to 40 and 65 at% Ag/DLC coatings. Similarly, the 17 at% Ag/DLC coatings show less compromise on mechanical properties, which decline by over 50% for 40 and 65 at% Ag/DLC coatings. This work has extended the typical range of Ag for depositing safe and biocompatible DLC coatings for medical applications.
AB - Silver enriched diamond-like carbon (Ag/DLC) coatings are gaining a reputation for medical applications as Ag doping improves the intrinsic biocompatibility and antimicrobial features of DLC, and higher Ag amounts improve its hemocompatibility and growth inhabitation of tumours etc. However, higher Ag amounts in DLC coatings can also lead to increased cytotoxic effects. This work presents the co-sputter deposition of Ag-enriched DLC coatings with 17, 40, and 65 at% Ag in a DLC matrix. The structural and mechanical properties of the coatings are studied with field emission scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, contact surface profiler, and nanoindentation. The biocompatibility of 72 h and 168 h leached extracts of Ag/DLC coatings are assessed through Ag ion release rates in Dulbecco's modified eagle medium using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and their corresponding biocompatibility profiles are mapped against the L929 mouse fibroblast cell line. EDX mapping shows a throughout distribution of Ag in DLC matrix instead of localization distributions and clustering. The XRD diffraction peaks reflect the amorphous-like behaviour of 17 at% Ag/DLC and prominent Ag crystallinity for 40 and 65 at% Ag/DLC coatings. The leached Ag ions concentration of 8 ppm demonstrated by the 65 at% Ag/DLC coating completely diminishes its biocompatibility. The results suggest that 17 at% Ag enriched DLC coatings are a safe candidate for biomedical application and retain biocompatibility when treated with extracts prepared over prolonged ion leaching periods of 168 h, when compared to 40 and 65 at% Ag/DLC coatings. Similarly, the 17 at% Ag/DLC coatings show less compromise on mechanical properties, which decline by over 50% for 40 and 65 at% Ag/DLC coatings. This work has extended the typical range of Ag for depositing safe and biocompatible DLC coatings for medical applications.
KW - Biocompatibility
KW - Diamond-like carbon
KW - Mechanical properties
KW - Medical applications
KW - Silver
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85157991340&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.170473
DO - 10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.170473
M3 - Article
SN - 0925-8388
VL - 958
SP - 1
EP - 11
JO - Journal of Alloys and Compounds
JF - Journal of Alloys and Compounds
M1 - 170473
ER -