Anti-bacterial property of Si and F doped diamond-like carbon coatings

• A range of Si and F doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were prepared.
• The contact angle and surface energy of the doped DLC coatings were measured.
• The doped DLC coatings reduced the surface energy of DLC coatings.
• The coatings reduced bacterial adhesion by 68%, compared with the stainless steel.

In this study, the anti-bacterial performance of modified diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings with Si and F was investigated and compared with standard DLC coatings and stainless steel using Klebsiella pneumoniae as test bacterium. The experimental results indicated that the F and Si doped DLC coatings reduced the surface energy and improved anti-bacterial ability of DLC coatings. The extended DLVO theory was used to calculate the interaction energy between the coatings and the bacterium. The anti-bacterial mechanism was explained using the extended theory.