Diamond-like carbon coatings as biocompatible materials - an overview

Amorphous hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) and tetrahedral carbon (taC) films are characterized by high wear resistance, low friction coefficients and chemical inertness, thus high-corrosion resistance. The properties of DLC and taC can further be modified by incorporating other elements in the films, such as N, F, Si and metals, thus tailoring them for specific applications. The films can be deposited as conformal, very smooth layers. These properties make the films good candidates as biocompatible coatings for biomedical devices and tools. The paper presents on overview of the biomedical characteristics of different varieties of amorphous carbon and their potential applications. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.