Generally, materials with high biocompatibility are more appropriate for bone and tissue transplant applications, due to their higher effectiveness in the healing process and infection problems. This study presents the effects of laser surface texturing on the surface topography properties, roughness, and wettability of thin titanium sheets, which consequently enhance the biocompatibility of this material. Creating line patterns across the surfaces, the titanium samples are prepared using variety of laser parameters. The apatite inducing ability of each sample is tested through the use of simulated body fluid (SBF). The final biocompatibility level of titanium samples is analyzed through wettability, surface angle measurements, and average surface temperature profile. Overall, the effects of laser parameter, pulse numbers, upon the biocompatibility of titanium are thoroughly examined, with results indicating that a scanning speed of 100 µm/ms results in desirable bone type apatite inducing abilities across the surface of treated titanium sheets.

It was concluded that the variation of the surface roughness, surface morphology, and oxidation level of the material has a direct effect on the cell adhesion rate to the surface of the titanium. Upon completion of the analysis, it is concluded that using a higher power and a lower dwelling time results in better bioactivity improvement than using higher dwelling times and lower powers.

Laser processing and laser surface texturing in multiple fields have become a popular topic of study in recent decades. Understanding the principles behind the laser irradiation mechanism is an essential step in choosing the most effective process parameters. Through this study, the effects of power and pulse duration on the structure and surface pattern of stainless steel type 304 were examined, and optimized laser parameters were introduced for desired laser penetration and heat-affected areas on the surface. The analyzed sample was prepared by using variations of pulse durations and different pulsed energies. Looking at the trend of change of non-dimensional temperature along the surface, thickness, and center of the sample, the effects of pulse duration and intensity (corresponding to energy) were observed. Upon considering all the aspects of the irradiated spots, such as heat-affected area diameter, surface patterns, and penetration depth, the advantages and disadvantages of short and long pulse durations are mapped out clearly. Also, a new method to obtain the ablation threshold of stainless steel is introduced, and a thorough analytical solution is obtained.

Biomaterial engineering, specifically in bone implant and osseointegration, is currently facing a critical challenge regarding the response of cells to foreign objects and general biocompatibility of the materials used in the production of these implants. Using the developing technology of the laser surface treatment, this study investigates the effects of the laser repetition rate (frequency) on cell distribution across the surface of the titanium substrates. The main objective of this research is building a fundamental understanding of how cells interact with treated titanium and how different treatments affect cell accumulation. Cells respond differently to surfaces treated with different frequency lasers. The results of this research identify the influence of frequency on surface topography properties and oxidation of titanium, and their subsequent effects on the pattern of cell accumulation on its surface. Despite increased oxidation in laser-treated regions, the authors observe that fibroblast cells prefer untreated titanium to laser-treated regions, except the regions treated with 25 kHz pulses, which become preferentially colonized after 72 h.

The main objective of this chapter is to introduce high-energy nanosecond laser pulse treatment for enhancing the surface bioactivity of titanium for bone and tissue implant fabrication. Improvement to the implant performance could immensely benefit the human patient. Bioactivity enhancement of materials is currently an essential challenge in implant engineering. Laser micro/nano surface texturing of materials offers a simple, accurate, and precise method to increase the biocompatibility of materials in one single step. In this chapter, the effects of laser power, scanning parameters, and frequency on surface structure and topographic properties are studied. Through bioactivity assessment of treated titanium substrates, it was found that an increase in power and frequency increases the bioactivity of titanium, while a decrease in scanning speed of laser could lead to an increase in the cell adhesion ability of titanium.