Abstract—Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films can be used in numerous industrial applications, including biomedical modified-surfaces with biocompatible and wetting properties. It is important to understand the surface properties of DLC thin films for these applications. In this study, oxygen (O2) plasma treatment on DLC film surfaces is studied, taking into account the effects of radio frequency (RF) power and treatment time on wetting property. All the films were prepared on Si (100) wafers using a plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) technique using acetylene (C2H2) as the plasma source. The deposited DLC films were then treated with oxygen plasma using various RF powers and treatment times in order to characterize the wettability, compared to as-deposited DLC film. The thickness and structure of the films were evaluated using stylus profilometer and Raman spectroscopy. The wettability of the films was assessed using a contact angle meter. The results indicate the oxygen plasma treatment on DLC film surfaces influenced to thickness change, but unaffected to structure of the films with various RF powers and treatment times. Further, oxygen plasma-treated DLC films exhibit a hydrophilic surface due to the introduction of some hydroxyl and carbonyl groups onto the DLC film surface. It is concluded that oxygen plasma treatment can be used to make hydrophilic DLC, making it a favorable wetting surface for biomedical applications.
Index Terms—Diamond-like carbon, surface modification, plasma treatment, wettability.
C. Jongwannasiri is with the Graduate school at Nippon Institute of Technology, Saitama, 345-8501 Japan (e-mail: s3124601@sstu.nit.ac.jp, chavin.jon@outlook.co.th).
S. Watanabe is with the Department of Innovative Systems Engineering, Nippon Institute of Technology, Saitama, 345-8501 Japan (e-mail: shwata@nit.ac.jp).
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Cite: C. Jongwannasiri and S. Watanabe, "Effects of RF Power and Treatment Time on Wettability of Oxygen Plasma-Treated Diamond-like Carbon Thin Films," International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 13-16, 2014.
