A new insight on the lubrication of artificial joint components is presented. Addition of small amounts of nanoscale diamond particles to an artificial joint promotes a substantial improvement in friction and wear behavior of the artificial joint surfaces. Artificial joint implants are made from a variety of materials ranging from metal alloys to polymers. Suitable methods of applying nanoscale diamond particles to an artificial joint include (i) coating an effective amount of nanoscale diamond particles onto the artificial joint prior to implants; (ii) applying a composition to the artificial joint during an artificial joint implanting surgery, wherein said composition comprises a biocompatible carrier fluid and an effective amount of nanoscale diamond particles dispersed in the biocompatible carrier fluid; (iii) injecting the composition for lubricating the artificial joint into the artificial joint.

The invention relates to an implant or medical tool made of a metal or having a surface made of a metal for use in a therapeutic treatment, wherein the implant or the tool has, on its/the surface, a coating with polycrystalline doped electrically conductive diamond, wherein the therapeutic therapy is a treatment of a microbial infection of a human or animal body, wherein the implant or the tool is connected as anode (12) in an electrochemical system in the body, wherein the electrochemical system comprises, in addition to the anode (12), a cathode (16), a power source connected in an electrically conductive manner to the anode and to the cathode, and an electrolyte comprising or consisting of a body fluid, or consists of the anode (12), a cathode (16), a power source connected in an electrically conductive manner to the anode and to the cathode, and an electrolyte comprising or consisting of a body fluid, or wherein the implant or the tool is disposed within an electrical field, by means of which a negative charge is induced at a first site and a positive charge at a second site by induction on the implant or tool, by means of which the first site becomes the anode (12) in an electrochemical system and the second site becomes the cathode (16) in the electrochemical system, wherein the electrochemical system comprises, in addition to the implant or the tool, an electrolyte comprising or consisting of a body fluid or consists of the implant or the tool and an electrolyte comprising or consisting of a body fluid.

A method of providing an anti-microbial coating on an object, comprises the steps of pretreating the object in a first oxygen plasma to graft oxygen-based functional groups on the surface of the object by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, coating the pretreated object with a suspension of particulate graphene oxide to provide a graphene oxide coating on the object, treating the object in a hydrocarbon plasma to deposit an amorphous hydrocarbon film on the graphene oxide coating by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, and treating the object in a second oxygen plasma configured to etch and flatten the coatings on the surface of the object. A prosthetic implant having a metal or metal alloy surface and an anti-microbial coating on all or part of the surface is also described.

Described is a composite material composed of an atomically thin (single layer) amorphous carbon disposed on top of a substrate (metal, glass, oxides) and methods of growing and differentiating stem cells.

This invention is directed to compositions and films comprising hydroxyapatite with minute amounts of doped inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles or doped inorganic nanotubes (INT); methods of preparation and uses thereof.

Nerve scaffolds are described that include a tubular outer housing fabricated from a biocompatible polymer, within which are disposed a plurality of carbon nanofiber yarns. The carbon nanofiber yarns, which can be separated by distances roughly corresponding to an average nerve fiber diameter, provide surfaces on which nerve fibers can regrow. Because the proximate carbon nanofiber yarns can support individual nerve fibers, a nerve can be regenerated with a reduced likelihood of undesirable outcomes, such as nerve pain or reduced nerve function.

Arrangements are provided for assembling multiple substrates for coating within a fluidized bed coater so as to deposit a coating of uniform thickness across the entire exterior surface thereof. One embodiment includes a method for coating orthopedic implants having convex and concave surfaces with pyrocarbon by pyrolytic decomposition of a hydrocarbon.

The present invention relates to an alkyl chitosan-graphene oxide composite sponge and preparation method and application thereof. The alkyl chitosan-graphene oxide composite sponge provided by the present invention includes alkyl chitosan and graphene oxide absorbed on the alkyl chitosan, and the adsorbing capacity of the graphene oxide is 3-28 wt. %. In the present invention, alkyl chitosan is used as a matrix to combine graphene oxide and alkyl chitosan; the obtained composite sponge has excellent hemostatic performance and blood absorption capacity. Results of embodiments indicate that the in-vitro whole blood coagulation time is less than 58 s, the hemostasis time of a rabbit femoral artery hemorrhage model is less than 155 s, the hemorrhage mass is less than 5.4 g, and the hemostatic effect is superior to a pure alkyl chitosan sponge or graphene oxide powder when the composite sponge provided by the present invention is used for hemostasis.

An antibacterial member that maintains a high antibacterial property and a high osteoconductive property for a long duration is provided. The antibacterial member includes a DLC film (F-DLC film) 40 containing fluorine at least partially or entirely on an outermost surface of a base material 10. The F-DLC film has an element ratio (F/(F+C)) of 17% to 72% and a nanoindentation hardness of 2,000 MPa to 16,000 MPa. This maintains wear resistance and close contact, and obtains an antibacterial member that maintains a high antibacterial property and a high osteoconductive property for a long duration. The F-DLC film does not necessarily need to cover the entire outermost surface of the base material but may be disposed in a mottled pattern.

An article for a living body or a biological sample is provided, the article including a first film and a second film, in which the first film includes an amorphous carbon film in which a proportion of the number of carbon atoms having an sp.sup.2-hybrid orbital to a total number of carbon atoms having an sp.sup.2-hybrid orbital and carbon atoms having an sp.sup.3-hybrid orbital is in a range of 23 to 43 atom % or a titanium-doped amorphous carbon film in which a proportion of the number of titanium atoms to the number of carbon atoms is in a range of 3 to 12 atom %, and the second film includes any one film selected from an amorphous carbon film in which a static contact angle with pure water is 10 or less, a titanium-doped amorphous carbon film in which a proportion of the number of titanium atoms to the number of carbon atoms is less than 3 atom % or greater than 12 atom %, or a titanium-doped amorphous carbon film in which a static contact angle with pure water is 10 or less.