DLC for medical-technical applications modified by electron beam

The use of diamond like carbon (DLC) for medical applications has established during the last years. Main advantages are its wear and friction behavior, high hardness and its biocompatibility. We addressed the modification of DLC using low energy electron beam (eBeam) treatment in order to generate new biofunctional characteristics on the surface. EBeam treatment was done applying different energy doses. The modified coatings were characterized by calculation of the surface free energy. We showed that the polar parts increased significantly with rising electron beam dose. The cell biological response was investigated using human fibroblasts. Assessment of the cell number, metabolic activity and viability revealed, that the cell number on electron beam modified DLC was reduced significantly. In addition, the metabolic activity was reduced in the same way. Nevertheless, we proofed that the modified surfaces had no toxic effects on the used cell lines. No increase in apoptosis and necrosis were recorded. The relative amount of vital cells was comparable to the standard. With these finding, it is possible to modify DLC by eBeam treatment in order to direct cell adhesion and furthermore define areas with no cell attachment.