Gaseous Flow Through Thin Carbon Films

Abstract

Thin carbon films, when used as coatings on prosthetic devices, must be a barrier to gases and physiological fluids. Using CO₂ at room temperature, the gas permeability of carbon films ranging in thickness from about 200 to 5000Å was measured. The average permeability constant of 21 carbon films was determined to be 1.91 (±1.02) x 10⁻¹² cm³-cm/cm²-sec-mmHg. This value is quite comparable to or smaller than that of nuclear graphites, which are considered to be impermeable to gases.