title: Mechanical and biological characteristics of diamond-like carbon coated poly aryl-ether-ether-ketone.
abstract: Poly aryl-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is an alternative to metal alloys in orthopedic applications. Although the polymer provides many significant advantages such as excellent mechanical properties and non-toxicity, it suffers from insufficient elasticity and biocompatibility. Since the elastic modulus of diamond-like carbon (DLC) is closer to that of cortical bone than PEEK, the DLC/PEEK combination is expected to enhance the stability and surface properties of PEEK in bone replacements. In this work, PEEK is coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC) by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIII&D) to enhance the surface properties. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy demonstrate successful deposition of the DLC film on PEEK without an obvious interface due to energetic ion bombardment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements indicate changes in the surface roughness and hydrophilicity, and nanoindentation measurements reveal improved surface hardness on the DLC/PEEK. Cell viability assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and real-time PCR analysis show that osteoblast attachment, proliferation, and differentiation are better on DLC/PEEK than PEEK. DLC/PEEK produced by PIII&D combines the advantages of DLC and PEEK and is more suitable for bone or cartilage replacements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics & Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Huaiyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dixon T K
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Zhengwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001577:Benzophenones; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D018130:Diamond / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D006801:Humans; D007659:Ketones / Q000737:chemistry*; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers; D051381:Rats; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001577:Benzophenones; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D007659:Ketones; D011108:Polymers; C063834:polyetheretherketone; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D002244:Carbon; D018130:Diamond