Laser-beam powder bed fusion followed by laser-induced periodic surface structuring leads to antibacterial properties

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• PBF-LB + LIPSS surface inhibits E. coli adhesion vs. polished and LIPSS-only ones. • Antibacterial effect achieved without ion-release increase, with biocompatibility. • Antibacterial efficacy unaffected by pitch but enhanced by combining with PBF-LB. • Wettability and morphology enhance antibacterial effect—promising for biomedicine. The antibacterial properties of nanostructured surfaces depend on their micro/nanostructure size and wettability. Previous studies have demonstrated that laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) can inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the surface, making LIPSSs a promising approach to enhance the antibacterial performance of biomedical devices. Many medical devices have been fabricated via laser-beam powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) technology. Integrating LIPSSs with PBF-LB could further improve the antibacterial properties in medical devices. Unlike prior research that focused solely on the antibacterial properties of LIPSSs, we propose a novel method to fabricate a combined PBF-LB + LIPSS surface. In this approach, the workpiece is first fabricated using the PBF-LB process, followed by a picosecond laser irradiation of the side surface to generate LIPSSs. Experimental results indicate that the PBF-LB + LIPSSs significantly inhibits the attachment of Escherichia coli. This finding suggests that the method of PBF-LB + LIPSS has excellent potential for biomedical applications, offering enhanced antibacterial performance.