Structure and blood compatibility of tetrahedral amorphous hydrogenated carbon formed by a magnetic-field-filter plasma stream

Tetrahedral amorphous hydrogenated carbon (ta-C:H) films with various substrate bias voltages were prepared using a magnetic-field-filter plasma stream deposition system. The microstructural and optical properties were studied using ellipsometric spectra. The refractive index n of each sample was obtained by simulating their ellipsometric spectral using Tauc-Lorentz oscillator model, and then the relative sp³ C ratio of each sample was calculated using Bruggeman effective medium approximation. The sp³ C fraction of each sample was quantified by using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The blood compatibility of the samples was evaluated by tests of platelet adhesion, kinetic clotting time and thrombin time. The quantity and morphology of the adherent platelets on the surface of these samples were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Results show that the spectroscopic ellipsometry is a helpful method to evaluate the sp³ carbon fraction of the carbon films. The substrate bias voltage has an obvious effect on sp³ content and blood compatibility of ta-C:H films. The sample prepared with substrate bias voltage of − 20 V showed the best blood compatibility. A simple bio-physical hypothetical model was proposed to explain the experiment results.