Hybrid Nanocomposites Produced by Sputtering: Interaction with Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Cells

Abstract

The use of composite materials for different and diverse technological applications is a growing field. The development of this class of materials arises when it is required from a material a combination of properties that are impossible to co-exist, such as, for example, high hardness and good tenacity. However, in some applications the main focus of this combination of characteristics/properties is only required at the material surface; in this cases, the composite will be deposited onto the surface as a coating. Moreover, the introduction of reinforcements of nanometric size, where one of the dimensions is lower than 100 nm, may induce, in the deposited composite, particularly appealing properties due to the nanometric scale. This chapter presents the use of a particular deposition tech- nique—sputtering—for the production of nanocomposites made of dissimilar materials such as ceramic/metal, ceramic/polymer and ceramic/polymer/metal. The application of these surfaces in interaction with both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells will be given as an example of the broad range of applications of the developed surfaces.