Hemocompatibility and antibacterial properties of lanthanum oxide films synthesized by dual plasma deposition

Lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃) films with good hemocompatibility and antibacterial properties have been fabricated using dual plasma deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that La exists in the +3 oxidation state. The band gap of the materials is determined to be 3.6 eV. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and blood platelet adhesion tests were used to evaluate the blood compatibility. The bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, were used in plate counting tests to determine the surface antibacterial properties. The APTT is a little longer than those of blood plasma and stainless steel (SS). Furthermore, the numbers of adhered, aggregated, and morphologically changed platelets are reduced compared with those on low-temperature isotropic carbon and SS. The antibacterial plate-counting test indicates that La₂O₃ has good antibacterial activity against S. aureus. These unique hemocompatibility and antibacterial properties make La₂O₃ useful in many biomedical applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.