New Cold Plasma and DLC Surface Treatments for Medical Co-Cr-Mo and Ti-6Al-4V Prostheses

Recent studies indicate that the most important factor limiting the longevity of hip prostheses is the production of wear particles from the prosthetic components. We have studied the effect of two surface treatment techniques on the Ti-6Al-4V alloy: ionic nitruration (cold plasma) and Diamond-like Coating (DLC). These two techniques create a layer of 7-8 μm in depth on the surface of the alloy, modifying its structure and hardening it considerably. Biocompatibility was analyzed using cellular culture to compare viability, proliferation (DNA quantification) and differentiation (ALP assay) of human osteoblast-like cells (MG 63) as well as cellular adhesion of human fibroblasts (WI 38) or osteoblasts, under SEM.