Effect of Si-incorporation on wear–corrosion properties of diamond-like carbon films

Abstract Si incorporated diamond-like carbon (Si-DLC) films ranging from 0 to 2 at.% contents were deposited on STS 316L substrates for orthopedic implants by means of rf plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (rf PACVD) technique, using mixtures of benzene (C6H6) and silane (SiH4) as the precursor gases. This study provides the reliable and quantitative data for assessment of the effect of Si incorporation on wear–corrosion properties in the simulated body fluid environment through the tribological and electrochemical test. It was found that wear and corrosion to resistance of Si-DLC coatings with increasing Si content were improved owing to high sp3 bonding.