Structural, chemical and biological properties of carbon layers sputtered on polyethyleneterephtalate

Carbon layers on polyethyleneterephtalate (PET) backing were prepared by sputtering from graphite target. UV-VIS, Raman spectroscopy, RBS (Rutherford backscattering) and ERDA (Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis) techniques were used for the characterization of the layers. Surface morphology of the layers was determined by AFM technique and the adhesion of 3T3 mouse fibroblasts on the layers was studied in vitro. It was found that the properties of the deposited carbon layer depend on the sputtering time. The concentration of conjugated double bonds, fraction of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) containing oxygen and surface roughness are increasing functions of the sputtering time. The changes of the layer surface morphology with increasing sputtering time were also observed. For the sputtering times up to 30' the number of adhering 3T3 cells increases with increasing sputtering time. For longer sputtering times, however, the cell adhesion becomes lower probably due to unfavorable changes in roughness and morphology of the layer.