Corrosion resistance of Ti-Si-N coatings in blood and cytocompatibility with vascular endothelial cells

Abstract Ti-Si-N coatings are deposited on titanium alloy by arc-enhanced magnetron sputtering at different negative bias voltages and their corrosion resistance in blood, effects on platelet activation, endothelial cell functions are studied. The Ti-Si-N coatings are made up of crystalline TiN and amorphous Si 3 N 4 phases and show better corrosion resistance compared with titanium alloy. Reduced platelet receptor activation is observed on the Ti-Si-N coatings and that deposited at −100 V shows the longest clotting time and smallest platelet activation. Ti-Si-N coatings also enhance the endothelial cell proliferation and spreading as well as the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression.