Structure and Properties of La(2)O(3)-TiO(2) Nanocomposite Films for Biomedical Applications

The hemocompatibility of La(2)O(3)-doped TiO(2) films with different concentration prepared by radio frequency (RF) sputtering was studied. The microstructures and blood compatibility of TiO(2) films were investigated by scan electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible optical absorption spectroscopy, respectively. With the increasing of the La(2)O(3) concentrations, the TiO(2) films become smooth, and the grain size becomes smaller. Meanwhile, the band gap of the samples increases from 2.85 to 3.3 eV with increasing of the La(2)O(3) content in TiO(2) films from 0 to 3.64%. La(2)O(3)-doped TiO(2) films exhibit n-type semiconductor properties due to the existence of Ti(2+) and Ti(3+). The mechanism of hemocompatibility of TiO(2) film doped with La(2)O(3) was analyzed and discussed.