Behavior of human umbilical vein endothelial cells on micro-patterned amorphous hydrogenated carbon films produced by plasma immersion ion implantation & deposition and plasma etching

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon films synthesized by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIII&D) were micro-patterned using argon plasma etching. Wells containing organized arrays of square holes were produced by plasma etching for 40 min on the surface of the a-C:H films covered by a steel stainless mask. The characteristics of the micro-patterned surfaces including the chemical composition, structure, surface morphology, contact angle, and surface energy were investigated and the effects of surface micro-patterning on the behavior of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells were investigated. All the micro-patterned samples exhibit a more hydrophobic nature and both cell adhesion and proliferation on the micro-patterned samples are improved compared to the un-patterned hydrogenated carbon film. The micro-patterns on the hydrogenated carbon films are observed to influence the water contact angle, surface energy, and HUVE cell behaviors, and the surface energy and hydrophobic surfaces appear to be the predominant reasons for the better cell adhesion and more rapid proliferation. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using micro-patterning to modulate HUVE cell behavior.