Preparation of Diamond-Like Carbon on Ti Film with Tetramethylsilane Buffer Layer

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) has been applied as a coating material to improve the basic properties of strength, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. In this study, a DLC film was prepared on a titanium (Ti) coating film with tetramethylsilane (TMS) buffer for application in vivo. Although the surface roughness of the Ti film increased with increasing Ti thickness, both TMS and DLC coatings deposited on Ti films resulted in the formation of a flat surface. Observation of the initial growth of the TMS layer indicated that a TMS buffer of more than 50 nm thickness was required for DLC coating even on the flat surface of the Ti thin film.