Fabrication of Biomimetic 2D Nanostructures through Irradiation of Stainless Steel Surfaces with Double Femtosecond Pulses

Femtosecond laser induced changes on the topography of stainless steel with double pulses is investigated to reveal the role of parameters such as the fluence, the energy dose and the interpulse delay on the features of the produced patterns. Our results indicate that short pulse separation (Delta iota = 5 ps) favors the formation of 2D Low Spatially Frequency Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LSFL) while longer interpulse delays ( Delta iota = 20 ps) lead to 2D High Spatially Frequency LIPSS (HSFL). The detailed investigation is complemented with an analysis of the produced surface patterns and characterization of their wetting and cell-adhesion properties. A correlation between the surface roughness and the contact angle is presented which confirms that topographies of variable roughness and complexity exhibit different wetting properties. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that patterns with different spatial characteristics demonstrate variable cell adhesion response which suggests that the methodology can be used as a strategy towards the fabrication of tailored surfaces for the development of functional implants.

Automated summary

This study investigates the changes in the topography of stainless steel induced by femtosecond laser with double pulses. The effects of parameters such as fluence, energy dose, and interpulse delay on the produced patterns are revealed. The study demonstrates that different spatial characteristics of surface patterns exhibit different wetting and cell adhesion properties, suggesting the potential application of this methodology in the development of tailored surfaces for functional implants.