In this investigation, chromium modified diamond-like-carbon (Cr-DLC) films were studied for potential applications in mechanical heart valves. Three Cr-DLC samples were prepared using a magnetron sputtering technique employing an intensified plasma assisted processing (IPAP) system. The three samples consisted of the following Cr content: 1 at.%, 5 at.% and 10 at.%. The biological response of human micro-vascular endothelial cells (HMV-EC) seeded on Cr-DLC films was evaluated in terms of initial cell attachment and growth. The Cr-DLC films were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and by the contact angle technique. Endothelial cell adhesion and growth was found to be affected by changing the Cr content of Cr-DLC films. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.