Using the Box-Behnken experimental design to improve the biocompatibility of the powder Ti–TiB2 composite through laser surface treatment

The paper deals with the surface functionalization of a biocompatible powder-based composite Ti-TiB 2 prepared by spark plasma sintering, applying the fiber nanosecond laser working at 1064 nm wavelength in an ambient atmosphere. The influence of the laser pulse energy (E P ), laser beam spot overlap (O L), and laser beam trace overlap (O T ) on the integrity of the laser-treated surfaces was studied using the Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD) in order to maximize the surface osseointegration-relevant properties. The SEM analysis, surface roughness measurement, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, static contact angle measurement, and X-ray diffraction analysis were conducted to identify the surface topography, morphology, chemistry, and wettability. Finally, the multiple analysis of variance (ANOVA) and RSM methodology were performed to optimize the laser treatment parameters. Applying the second-order polynomial model, the optimal combination of process parameters was set as follows: E P = 0.3 mJ, O L = -12%, and O T = 40%. The confirmation test showed very high prediction accuracy of the surface roughness and chemistry but low prediction accuracy of the surface wettability.