Electrodeposited hydroxyapatite coating on titanium after ultrashort-pulsed laser processing for a novel surface of endosseous implants.

Background: Ceramic endosseous implant coatings have gained esteem due to their favorable osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties. However, such a layer may be prone to failure under in vivo conditions, which necessitates its modification.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to modify an electrodeposited hydroxyapatite (HA) coating on titanium (Ti) with ultrashort-pulsed lasers for the incorporation of the ceramic into the sample surface and the texturing of the metal surface. The obtained surface was planned for application on the endosseous implant surface to enhance osseointegration. To our knowledge, such laser modification of a HA coating has not been performed previously.

Material and methods: Four different HA coatings were created (A-D). Each coating was conditioned with 4 different laser irradiations (1-4 to 4-4), carried out using different power, velocity and frequency settings. The surface features of the laser-irradiated coatings were analyzed.

Results: The laser modifications of the HA coatings resulted in 2 kinds of surfaces. Laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) texturing could be observed on quadrants 1-4 to 3-4, with parallel grooves and HA crystals melted and sintered into spherical structures. The 4-4 laser surface conditioning did not altered the needle-like morphology of the HA coating. The LIPSS-fusion modification decreased the water contact angle of the samples.

Conclusions: The ultrashort-pulsed laser modification of the HA coating for regimes 1-4 to 3-4 resulted in the LIPSS texturing of the Ti surface with HA sinterization. Further biological analyses are necessary to evaluate the cell and tissue response to such laser-modified HA coating on Ti.