Blood compatibility of La2O3 doped diamond-like carbon films

La2O3 doped diamond-like carbon films (DLC) with different concentration were deposited by using Radio-Frequency magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and surface properties of DLC films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle test. The blood compatibility of the samples was evaluated by tests of platelet adhesion. Results show the sp2-bonded C content increases with increasing of La2O3 concentration doped. A remarkable decrease of platelet adhered on the surface of the La2O3 doped DLC films was observed comparing to the Chrono flex used in clinical application, suggesting that La2O3 doped DLC is able to enhance its blood compatibility. The mechanism of hemocompatibility of doped films was discussed. Our results demonstrate that La2O3 doped DLC films are potentially useful biomaterials with good blood compatibility.