Ultra-fast laser surface texturing of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) ceramics for bone-tissue engineering applications

Abstract

β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) has provoked particular attention as graft for bone regeneration applications due to its excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this work, we investigated the interaction of femtosecond laser radiation with β-TCP pellets by varying the output laser parameters in order to estimate their influence on the surface roughness and on the morphological and topographical properties of the substrate before and after laser treatment. Femtosecond laser micro-processing for pulse duration of τ = 30 fs and 130 fs was performed by varying the number of laser pulses N = 1 - 100, at λ = 800 nm and a variable repetition rate. The microstructural changes induced were characterized by confocal microscopy. Comparing the experimental results, we concluded that the femtosecond laser method can be applied for biomaterials surface functionalization with a high-level of precision.