[en] Thin organic films based on poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) polymer have been obtained by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on silicon substrates. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). We observed that the film composition and structure depend on the laser fluence and on the temperature of the substrate during deposition

[en] Bio-glass films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique onto medical grade Ti6Al7Nb alloy substrates from prepared silica based bio-glass target. A low deposition temperature was used (150 deg. C) and three different working pressures, followed by annealing in air at 550 and 750 deg. C. A quasi-stoichiometric target to substrate atomic transfer was found for Si, Ca and P, along with strong enrichment in Na and depletion in K and Mg, as evidenced by the energy dispersive microanalysis. The best results, taking into account stoichiometry and surface roughness, were obtained for the BG layers deposited at 0.3 Pa argon working pressure. The infrared spectroscopy of the as-sputtered and of the annealed films evidenced the characteristic molecular vibrations of silicate, phosphate and carbonate functional groups. The as-deposited films are amorphous and became partly crystalline after annealing at 750 deg. C, as evidenced by X-ray diffraction. The pull-out measurements, performed with a certified pull-test machine, gave very strong film-substrate adhesion strength values. For the non-crystalline layers, the pull-out strength is higher than 85 MPa, and decreases after annealing at 750 deg. C to 72.9 ± 7.1 MPa. The main objective of this work was to establish the influence of the working pressure upon the composition and morphology of the as-deposited films, and of the annealing temperature upon structure and film-substrate adhesion.

[en] We report on the synthesis of 700 nm thick bioglass thin films by magnetron sputtering from 45S5 bioglass targets in the argon atmosphere. The adhesion of films to Ti substrates increased 1.75 times when introducing an ∼ 70 nm thick mixed glass-Ti buffer layer (BG_1-xTi_x (x = 0-1)) with gradient of composition by co-sputtering. The morphological and structural properties of the films were studied by XRD, FTIR and microscopic techniques, showing an improvement after the two-hour thermal air treatment at 650 ^oC. We investigated in vitro the viability and proliferation of human osteoblast cells cultivated onto the surface of the films. The osteoblasts spread over the surface adopting typical polyhedral shapes with numerous focal adhesion points and protrusions infiltrating deep into the films. We assigned this evolution to the improved mechanical properties and enhanced bioactivity due to the prevalent formation of combeite and wollastonite crystalline phases in the heat treated bioglass films.