Antibacterial activity of DLC Films with zinc, copper and silver

Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) films have a lot of interesting mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, therefore it has been extensively applied in different areas. The incorporation of other elements in these films can increase these properties, expanding their applicability as a coating for biomedical devices. Therefore, in this work, DLC films were grown with copper, silver, and zinc. The film was deposited via a combined Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) / Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) technique driven by a High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) power with a metallic target in an atmosphere of Ar / C2H2. In the process, parameters such as gas flow, peak current, and deposition pressure were varied. Thus, the films were obtained with different compositions and structural qualities. The chemical composition, structural quality, and coating thickness were analyzed by Electronic Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), Raman spectroscopy, and profilometry, respectively. The analysis of the antibacterial activity of DLC films with metals was realized following the standard ISO 22196. The antibacterial test was carried out with Escherichia coli with different incubation times. Preliminary results show that adding metals in the DLC film structure increases its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli.