Enhanced tribological properties and cyto-biocompatibility of dental Ti6Al4V alloy via laser surface texturing

Currently, the application of titanium-based implants is hindered by challenges such as inadequate wear resistance and limited osseointegration. Surface texturing technique has been recognized as an effective strategy to improve the surface performances of metallic material. The present work adopts a nanosecond laser texturing technique to fabricate micro textures on the titanium substrate. Firstly, the influence of laser parameters on the texture morphology and quality were investigated. Subsequently, both isotropic and anisotropic surface textures were fabricated to examine the impacts of texture form on wettability, tribological behavior, and cell adhesion and proliferation. The obtained results reveal that both the two textures promote the surface wettability of Ti6Al4V alloy towards a hydrophobic direction. Furthermore, the anisotropic micro-groove texture and the isotropic micro-grid texture can reduce the wear rate of titanium alloy by 42.02% and 73.64%, respectively. However, from the perspective of cyto-biocompatibility, the anisotropic micro-groove texture is capable of triggering an excellent cell contact guidance phenomenon, leading to a dramatically accelerated proliferation rate and facilitating the bone tissue growth in a specific direction.