Simultaneous application of diamond-like carbon coating and surface amination on polyether ether ketone: Towards superior mechanical performance and osseointegration

Poor osseointegration ability and the release of worn debris after implantation are the main issues impeding the clinic application of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) as orthopedics. To address these problems, we expect that the initial deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating on PEEK substrate and the subsequent introduction of amino groups onto sample surface using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) have the potential to simultaneously improve the mechanical performance and osseointegration. On one hand, the surface hardness is raised from 0.38 ​GPa to 2.99 ​GPa and the elastic modulus reaches 35 ​GPa after DLC deposition, while no failure is observed in the scratch tests even the loading force is up to 100 ​N. On the other hand, the introduced amino groups facilitate the adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation of the osteoblasts in vitro, and further enhanced the peri-implant bone regeneration in vivo. With the merits of low cost, clean approach, and ease of operation, the approach described here holds great potential for biomedical applications.