Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry And Atomic Force Microscopy Analysis Of Silver-Doped Diamond-Like Carbon Films On Titanium Alloy (Ti6al4v) For Possible Biomedical Application

The increase in the biointegration speed of titanium alloys is an important factor in the recovery and quality of life after an implant. The coating of these materials with thin films using plasma technologies is a viable alternative that can change the surface properties without changing the bulk properties. In this work, Diamondlike Carbon films doped with silver nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloys using a conjugate reactor, which uses Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition technique associated with a silver hollow cathode. The flow of argon was varied (from 20 to 80 sccm) to evaluate its influence on surface roughness and biointegration. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry depth profile showed the effectiveness of the hollow cathode to form a silver concentration gradient from the substrate up to the film surface, which is desirable in biomedical applications. Atomic Force Microscopy detected that increasing argon flow from 20 to 80 sccm produced a more acicular relief and promoted an increase in sp(3) hybridization, which characterizes films with better adhesion and mechanical resistance, as well as biomedical applications in which the material is subjected to load-bearing and wear. These results indicated the possibility of tuning the film roughness according to its biomedical application. The results of in vivo tests suggested that silver doping in Diamond-like Carbon films promoted faster biointegration than non-doped Diamond-like Carbon films and indicated the potential for their applicability in medical prosthetic materials.