Diamond-like carbon coating on poly(methylmethacrylate) prepared by ion beam deposition and ion beam-assisted deposition and its effect on cell adhesion

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings with their unique properties are suitable for use in the biomedical field. DLC films were prepared on the surfaces of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) intraocular lenses (IOLs) at low substrate temperature using ion beam deposition (IBD) and ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD). The results of cell adhesion tests indicated that the numbers of both neutral granulocytes and platelets adhering to the DLC films decreased significantly. The decrease in cell adhesion is related to the bonding structure of the DLC coatings. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic and Raman spectroscopic analyses showed the carbon film on PMMA IOLs prepared by IBAD to be more diamond-like with a higher proportion of sp3 bonds in the structure of mixed sp2 + sp3 bonding, which was responsible for the more obvious decrease in the number of cells adhering to the surface.