A laser-induced periodic surface
structure (LIPSS) was shown to
have antibacterial adhesion properties in previous research. In this
study, the antibacterial performance of LIPSS on traditional biometals
(stainless steel and titanium alloy) and a potential biometal (zirconium-based
bulk metallic glass, Zr-BMG) was investigated. A femtosecond laser
was used to fabricate LIPSS on the specimens. Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were used to examine
the antibacterial behavior of the LIPSS samples. The bacterial adhesion
force on each specimen was evaluated by an atomic force microscopy
(AFM) cell probe. The results showed that the LIPSS on all three metal
surfaces significantly lowered antibacterial adhesion compared to
polished metal specimens. E. coli demonstrated
a higher adhesion force but a lower surface adhesion rate compared
to S. aureus. The Zr-BMG specimen with
LIPSS has multiple antimicrobial mechanisms (physical antiadhesion
and chemical elimination), while the traditional biometals (316L and
TC4) mainly offer physical antiadhesion. Finally, an in vitro/vivo
study showed that specimens with LIPSS surfaces did not significantly
affect the biocompatibility of the specimens. This study reveals that
the Zr-BMG specimen with femtosecond laser-processed LIPSS is an ideal
choice for achieving an antibacterial surface.
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