Surface morphology and electrochemical corrosion behaviour under simulated body fluid on bio-mimetic laser texturing of the DMLS Ti-6Al-4V alloy

Bio-mimetic laser texturing was applied to the DMLS Ti–6Al–4V alloy to investigate its surface morphology and corrosion behaviour for biomedical applications. Two architectures were developed: a Bionic dimple array (∼75 µm) and a Duck Feather chevron pattern (45 × 40 µm micro-features). SEM confirmed uniform feature formation with characteristic melting–resolidification morphology. Heat treatment preserved macro-topography while reducing micro-asperities, indicating thermal stability. Electrochemical testing in simulated body fluid showed that the Duck Feather pattern exhibited ∼18% lower corrosion rate than the Bionic design in the as-built state. Overall, the Duck Feather-inspired surface combined with heat treatment demonstrated improved corrosion performance under the investigated conditions, highlighting the potential of bio-inspired laser texturing for enhancing the electrochemical behaviour of DMLS Ti–6Al–4V alloys in biomedical applications.