Enhancement of hydroxyapatite formation by laser-liquid-solid interaction

In this paper the use of stainless steel, silicon and silica glass substrates for the growth of hydroxyapatite (HA, widely used as artificial bone material), induced by a laser-liquid-solid-interaction is reported. The method allows growing of HA layer by using the interaction between a laser beam and a liquid precursor solution, as well as laser irradiation of the substrate during the laser-liquid interaction. The scanned laser beam (pulsed CuBr laser) is directed at the solid substrate, which is immersed in the solution, which resembles the ion composition and concentrations of the human blood plasma (simulated body fluid, SBF). The set-up includes an open deposition system, which allows the introduction of the laser beam led by a scanning system. It is shown that the proposed method enhances the HA formation, in comparison with the traditional methods of prolonged soaking in SBF. The HA layers grown in this manner are investigated by Light Microscopy (LM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy.