Structural, mechanical and cytotoxic properties of Ta-doped diamond-like carbon films deposited via radio frequence magnetron sputtering on polyether ether ketone

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films has excellent mechanical, tribological and biological properties. These prop-erties can be further improved by doping transition metals to DLC films. The aim of this study is to enhance the tribological, mechanical and biological properties of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), which has been used in dental implant studies in recent years, with Ta doped DLC (Ta-DLC) thin films. In this study, Ta-DLC thin films were deposited on PEEK and Si substrates using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputter. The DLC thin films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scratch test and microhardness tester. Biological properties of Ta-DLC thin films were examined by cytotoxicity assays with using L929 mouse fibroblast cells. According to the results, Ta-DLC films deposited on the PEEK surface showed a promising critical load value (Lc=150 N). The ID/IG was 1.04, D and G peaks were positioned at 1384.7 cm-1 and 15,714 cm-1 respectively. Ta-DLC thin films deposited on PEEK substrate were found to be more favorable for cell viability and attachment.