Vascular endothelial cell compatibility of superhard ternary Ti–Si–N coatings with different Si contents

• Endothelial cells on the Ti–Si–N coatings can significantly reduce platelet adhesion.
• Ti–Si–N coatings may improve the biological properties of titanium alloy in contact with vascular tissues.
• Ti–Si–N coatings containing TiN crystals and Si–N bonds can promote cell proliferation and nitric oxide secretion.
• Different silicon concentrations change the biological properties of the Ti–Si–N coatings.

Superhard ternary Ti–Si–N coatings with different Si atomic concentrations are deposited on titanium alloy substrates by arc-enhanced magnetron sputtering (AEMS) and the vascular endothelial cell compatibility is studied. In vitro studies show that the surface hydrophilicity and hemolysis are about the same as those of the titanium alloy control and platelet adhesion and protein adsorption tests suggest a close relationship between the surface energy and blood compatibility. Endothelial cells cultures reveal better proliferation and anti-platelet adhesion on the coatings compared to the titanium alloy control and the Ti–Si–N coating with 20 at% Si exhibits excellent endothelialization.