Enhanced biocompatibility of GPC by ion implantation and deposition

Biocompatible Glassy Polymeric Carbon (GPC) is used for artificial heart valves and in other biomedical applications. Although it is ideally suited for implants in the blood stream, tissue that normally forms around the moving parts of a GPC heart valve sometimes loses adhesion and creates embolisms downstream. We have previously shown that oxygen ion implantation slightly enhances cell adhesion to GPC. Here we compare silver ion implantation and silver deposition, each of which strongly inhibits cell attachment on GPC. Inhibition of cell adhesion is the more desirable improvement to current GPC cardiac implants. In vitro biocompatibility tests have been carried out with model cell lines to demonstrate that traces of silver can favorably influence the surface of GPC for biomedical applications.