Effect of hydrogen on the behavior of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) on titanium oxide films fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition

In this paper, titanium oxide (Ti–O) thin films were fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIII-D), and subsequently hydrogen ions were implanted into the film surface by PIII to improve the biocompatibility of blood and vascular contacting biomaterials and prosthesis such as stents, etc. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The contact angle of Ti–O films with simulated body fluid was measured. The biological behavior of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on Ti–O film surfaces was evaluated by an in vitro cultured HUVEC experiment. The in vitro investigation of cultured ECs on Ti–O films revealed that the biological behavior of HUVECs, such as adherence, growth and proliferation etc., were better biologically for hydrogen-containing Ti–O films than for untreated Ti–O films. The results of our study support the hypothesis that the surface morphology and biological properties such as wettability and surface tension etc. of the implanted Ti–O films are changed to a more desirable range by the high energy H plasma immersion ion implantation and by H incorporation in the films. As a result, the H-containing Ti–O films possess good biocompatibility.