Preparation and blood compatibility of carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite

A carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite, which consists of carbon film with various sp3C content and TiO2 nanowire arrays, has been synthesized, in which the top surface of TiO2 nanowire arrays prepared using hydrothermal method on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass were coated with carbon thin films. The carbon thin films with a higher, medium and lower sp3C content were deposited by pulsed magnetic filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and magnetron sputtering deposition, respectively. The surface morphology and structure of TiO2 nanowire arrays were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The sp3C content in carbon films was characterized using Raman spectroscopy. The blood compatibility of the samples including the TiO2 nanowire arrays, carbon films and carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite was assessed by tests of platelet adhesion in vitro. Results showed that the carbon/TiO2 composite can effectively improve the anticoagulant function compared to the single materials. It is believed that the excellent blood compatibility of the carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite is attributed to a joint function of surface properties adjusted by nanowire arrays and electronic structure of carbon thin films.