Endothelialization of TiO2 Nanorods Coated with Ultrathin Amorphous Carbon Films

Carbon plasma nanocoatings with controlled fraction of sp3-C bonding were deposited on TiO2 nanorod arrays (TNAs) by DC magnetic-filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition (FCVAD). The cytocompatibility of TNA/carbon nanocomposites was systematically investigated. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured on the nanocomposites for 4, 24, and 72 h in vitro. It was found that plasma-treated TNAs exhibited excellent cell viability as compared to the untreated. Importantly, our results show that cellular responses positively correlate with the sp3-C content. The cells cultured on high sp3-C-contented substrates exhibit better attachment, shape configuration, and proliferation. These findings indicate that the nanocomposites with high sp3-C content possessed superior cytocompatibility. Notably, the nanocomposites drastically reduced platelet adhesion and activation in our previous studies. Taken together, these findings suggest the TNA/carbon scaffold may serve as a guide for the design of multi-functionality devices that promotes endothelialization and improves hemocompatibility.