Wettability and antibacterial activity of modified diamond-like carbon films

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films can be used in a numerous industrial applications, including biomedical coatings with bactericidal properties. It has been demonstrated that DLC surface can be modified with oxygen plasma treatment. The purpose of this paper is to study the wettability and bactericidal activity of oxygen plasma-treated DLC films produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The sp3/sp2 ratio increased after the treatment due to the increase in the generation of the unstable carbon bonds caused by the energetic ions, especially O-H group. The treated DLC surface becomes superhydrophilic and rougher, although the roughness values are still lower. DLC antibacterial activity did not increased with plasma treatment. Therefore, oxygen plasma treatment can be used to make superhydrophilic DLC but not to increase its bactericidal properties.