Hemocompatibility Assessment of 3C-SiC for Cardiovascular Applications

The hemocompatibility of crystalline Silicon Carbide (SiC), in its cubic form (i.e., 3C-SiC), has been evaluated and compared to Silicon (Si), the leading material in biosensing applications. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a hard, chemically robust material, very well suited for harsh environment applications, and has been suggested to have very good biocompatibility. Additionally, SiC in its amorphous form, has been used as a coating for medical implantable devices such as bone prosthetics and cardiovascular stents. However, assessment of single crystal 3C-SiC for cardiovascular applications has not been reported. In this research we have studied the interactions of single crystal 3C-SiC with platelets and human microvascular endothelial cell (HMVEC) to assess the degree of hemocompatibility of 3C-SiC. The more hemocompatible a material is, the less platelet adhesion would be expected. Using fluorescence microscopy higher platelet adhesion was statistically observed on Si than on SiC. In addition 3C-SiC surfaces showed less platelet reactivity, measured by the degree of platelet adhesion, aggregation and activation, with mostly circular morphology of adhered platelets while Si showed an elevated presence of non-activated (Circular) platelet clumps. Additionally, HMVEC proliferation assessment suggest that 3C-SiC performs comparably to high attachment culture wells with enhanced proliferation, without affecting cell morphology. These results suggest that 3C-SiC is a promising candidate for applications in the blood stream due to its low thrombogenic characteristics and good hemocompatibility