Biocompatibility of femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures on the surface of Ti6Al4V

Titanium alloys are widely used as biomedical material in the field of implants because of outstanding mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The surface properties of implants are important factors that affect cell activities on the surface. In order to investigate the effect of surface nanostructures on the wettability and biocompatibility, in this paper, laser-induced surface periodic structures (LIPSS) were produced with femtosecond laser at 1030 nm and 343 nm wavelengths on the titanium alloy. The surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and parameters such as depth and roughness were obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The wettability was investigated by static contact angle measurement. The results revealed that LIPSS caused varying degrees of reduction in the contact angle linked with the period and depth of ripples. MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts were cultured on the surfaces of titanium alloys to study the biocompatibility. Different LIPSS have differences in the biocompatibility. The period and depth of LIPSS determine the orientation and elongation of cell stretching. The alkaline phosphatase concentration of the cells suggested that LIPSS affect the osteogenic difference.