Conducting Carbon Films With Covalent Binding Sites For Biomolecule Attachment

We report an electrically conductive carbon film with controllable hydrophilic properties that offers a covalent binding surface containing radicals for biomolecule attachment without using chemical linkers. Films were deposited from an acetylene-containing plasma using plasma immersion ion implantation during growth and subsequently annealed under vacuum. Electrical conductivity, spin density, contact angle, surface energy, surface composition, and covalent binding capability were studied as a function of annealing temperature, revealing three distinct regions. In the first region, surface energy is dominated by polar groups. In the second region, the polar groups are expelled, creating unpaired electrons that dominate the polar component of the surface energy. In the third region, the electrical conductivity rises and the polar component of surface energy falls as the unpaired electrons recombine, leading to an optimum combination of surface energy, spin density, and electrical conductivity for biological applications. It is proposed that persistent radicals are responsible for both high wettability and covalent binding properties. Covalently attached enzyme molecules on the C film can resist stringent washing with detergents. The C films offer the functions of conducting polymers, but with the added features of controllable wettability and a covalent binding capability. Published under license by AIP Publishing.