ENHANCED ADHESION OF DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON COATINGS ON 316 STAINLESS STEEL

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) has been a candidate prosthetic coating due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, and biocompatibility. However, the adhesion to a number of prosthetic materials is still an issue. Different techniques have been used to improve the adhesion of DLC on various substrates. In this paper, we report the fabrication of an adherent DLC coating on commercial 316 stainless steel by using pulsed laser deposition and a composition-graded intermediate layer. Intermediate layers with graded composition from stainless steel to DLC were obtained by designing an inlaid target. Raman spectrum analysis indicated that the grown DLC films are rich in sp3 bonds. The adhesion of the coatings as well as other properties of the intermediate layers are also discussed.