Corrosion Properties of DLC-Coated Stainless Steel in Hanks Solution for Biomedical Applications

Three-types of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were prepared by employment of an anode layer source on stainless steel substrates (316L). The DLC films show an amorphous structure and their thickness ranges between 1.1 to 1.5 μm. An interlayer of sputtered Cr was used as buffer between the DLC and stainless steel substrate in order to enhance adhesion. The corrosion properties of DLC-coated stainless steel in Hank's solution (pH=7.2) were studied using electrochemical methods. Results show that all DLC-coated substrates have up to one order of magnitude better corrosion resistance than a bare substrate.