Femtosecond Laser Surface Micro- and Nanotexturing of Metals, Alloys, and Ceramics Perspective for Biomedical Applications

Direct surface modification of dental implants based on zirconium (Zr), Ti–Zr alloys, and zirconia ceramics has been achieved by the irradiation of their surfaces with Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser. Fundamental (800 nm) and third (266 nm) harmonics of femtosecond laser have been used for the surface treatment. Laser treatment is one of the effective techniques of micro- and nanotexturing of the dental implant surfaces that can improve the adhesion of living tissues. The peculiarities of morphology of laser-treated surfaces have been studied using scanning electron microscopy. It has been revealed that efficient structuring of implant specimens has been observed at a higher irradiation power density at a higher scanning speed. An increase of the laser power density also contributes to the uniformity of the structure within the laser beam spot on the surface, which minimizes the inhomogeneity at the junctures of strips of consecutive laser beam passes. The wettability of laser-treated specimens is essentially dependent on preliminary treatment before femtosecond laser processing.