Fabrication and Characterization of Carbon Coating on Biomedical Implant

Abstract

Biomedical implants are devices that are implanted into the human body to maintain, reinforce, or even replace a portion or an entire biological structure to help in the healing process, supply medication, and monitor the body's function. An implant's performance decreasing below a particular tolerable level after implantation is a major problem that can compromise the implant's targeted therapeutic duration and lead to surgical adjustments. The biocompatibility, functionality, and endurance of the implant material should be encouraged, with a focus on the material's interaction with the target host. Different problems, such as poor mechanical qualities, metal ion leaching, hemolysis, and so on, can all contribute to implant failure by producing toxicity, allergic response, unfavorable local tissue reaction, and restenosis. All these difficulties were resolved by utilizing the physical vapor deposition technique to deposit a pure carbon coating layer on a graphite substrate on a stainless-steel implant. The thickness of the coating layer was measured using optical profilometry. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the microstructure. AFM was used to examine the topography and roughness of the coated layer. SEM EDX was used to determine the elemental composition, and micro indentation testing was used to determine the hardness of the coated layer. Leach and hemolytic tests were used in the biological examination of the coated sample. The sample with a 1.5 μm thick coating was found to be mechanically strengthened, non-hemolytic, and biocompatible.