Laser surface texturing of Titanium for bioengineering applications

Titanium and alloys are common biomaterials used for orthopedic implant. The response of the host tissue to the titanium is well known to depend on the surface texture of the implanted medical devices; then, control of the cell response through the texture has the potential to enhance fixation of implants into bone. In this work, the potential use of millisecond pulse laser for texturing titanium is investigated. Damage of the titanium sample with Nd:YAG, and CO2 lasers is investigated using high-speed photography; furthermore, laser treated areas are chemically and morphologically characterized.