In the present research, diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films were applied on steel substrates by means of pulsed-direct current (DC) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD). The effects of bias voltage and deposition pressure on the films’ structure and properties were investigated. The Raman spectra of the films revealed features typical of G and D bands, indicating the formation of a DLC phase. The results demonstrate that the sp3 carbon fraction or the so-called diamond-like character of the DLC films increased with increasing bias voltage. Moreover, an increase in the bias voltage resulted in a decrease in the film thickness from 800 to 200 nm. Also, the DLC films prepared at a higher deposition pressure showed a higher fraction of sp2-bonded carbon – that is, graphitic domains. Furthermore, it was found that the variation in the bias voltage and deposition pressure also affected the internal stress values of the DLC films in a way that they increased from 1 to 11 GPa when the bias voltage was increased from 475 to 675 V. The effectiveness of DLC films formed on the steel substrates can pave the way for developing a new class of advanced materials to enhance the performance of stainless steel for biomedical applications.

A series of diamond-like carbon thin films was applied on AISI 316L stainless steel substrates through a pulsed-direct current plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique to study the effects of working parameters (bias voltage and deposition pressure) on the microstructure and biocorrosion resistance of films. Raman spectra indicated that under low bias voltage and higher deposition pressure, the films possess a higher amount of sp2 structure, lower internal stress and an improved biocorrosion resistance due to a smooth and defect-free morphology. The lamellar sp2 structure blocked a penetration of corrosive entities. The oxygen content of locally corroded areas (∼11·9 wt.%) was much higher than that of non-corroded areas (2·6 wt.%) corroborating galvanic corrosion between carbide and nitride phases. Moreover, by increasing the deposition pressure from 20 to 40 Pa, the internal stress decreased from 1·03 to 0·82 GPa. The results confirmed that it is possible to tailor the properties of the coatings such as structural composition and particularly biocorrosion resistance by the control over the working parameters. Such anticorrosive diamond-like coatings could benefit biomedical implants used for tissue regeneration.