Preparation, Growth, and Analysis of Bioactive Films on Corning Glass using TEOS and CaSiO₃

Silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) is a widely investigated material due to its different applications and uses; it is currently being studied in medicine, due to its biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and chemical and thermal stability. On the other hand, it is known that hydroxyapatite can function as a light-emitting element. This work presents the obtaining of thin films of silicon oxycarbide containing calcium atoms (SiCaOC) by the hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technique, using tetraorthosilicate (TEOS) and calcium silicate (CaSiO3) as precursors, to obtain bioactive substrates for the growth of calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)) and thus have a film capable of emitting luminescence. In the XPS analysis, we found the elements silicon, carbon, oxygen, calcium, and phosphorus. On the other hand, in the photoluminescence spectrum (PL) three emissions were observed∼390 nm,∼513 nm,∼700 nm, corresponding to ultraviolet, green and red, respectively, the latter in the visible spectrum; in the SEM microscopies we can observe compact films composed of quasi-spherical grains, on the films clusters and filaments created by the growth of hydroxyapatite.