Pulsed Laser Deposition and Biocompatibility of Titanium Nitride Coatings

TiN thin films were deposited on pure titanium (99.9 %) and stainless steel (316L) substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. PLD is a very versatile technique to deposit high quality films and it allows the stoichiometry transfer of a multi-component system from target to deposited film. The crystallographic orientation of the films was studied using the X-ray diffraction technique and the results showed that the films were polycrystalline with the (111) preferred orientation. The hydrophilic/hydrophobicity nature of the films was investigated using contact angle measurements and the results indicated that the TiN coated surfaces were hydrophilic (< 90°). Biocompatibility of the TiN thin films was characterized in terms of cell attachment of bone cells on the surfaces of the coatings. Human bone marrow stromal cells were cultured, seeded, stained and imaged using a fluorescent microscope. Results on the biological behavior of the TiN thin films suggest that TiN is a good biocompatible material and has great promises in biological applications.