In diamond health: diamond-like coatings for medical devices

The views of Dr Benjamin Jones, materials lecturer and professor Tony Anson, biomedical engineer, Brunel University, UK, on the use of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin film coating in medical devices, are presented. DLC is a thin film coating that is dense, inert, low friction, and hard wearing. It has been observed that interdisciplinary research, involving materials scientists, physicists, mechanical engineers, and biomedical professionals is continuously expanding the potential and applications of DLC and enhanced carbon-based materials in the medical sector. Some of the metal constituents of DLCs are reactive in the presence of oxygen and forms protective oxide layers on the implants. These characteristics enable large number of devices, to be implanted, without adverse effects on biocompatibility.