Mechanism study and bacteriostatic performance investigation of axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted nanosecond laser microfabrication of pure titanium surfaces

With excellent biocompatibility and good corrosion resistance, Titanium and titanium alloys are ideal materials for orthopedic implants. The antimicrobial properties of orthopedic implants are critical in clinical care. Titanium itself does not have antimicrobial properties which can lead to infection problems. Axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser processing technology is developed by researchers as a novel means of surface modification. In this paper, a mathematical model of the lap rate of axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser ablation pits is developed, and the feasibility of the model is verified by numerical simulations and experiments using pure titanium as the base material. Errors in lap rates ranged from 2.1 % to 22.4 % between theory calculation and experiments results. Surface morphology at five different lap rates was prepared and observed for bacteriostatic surface evaluation. The results showed that the bacteriostatic surface was achieved at a lap ratio of 76.18. A surface with 97.9 % antibacterial activity was prepared based on a new theoretical model of axial ultrasonic vibration-assisted nanosecond laser processing method, which is instructive for improving the antimicrobial activity of orthopedic implants.