Influence of laser parameters on texturing of 3Y-TZP and Ce-TZP/Al2O3/SrAl12O19 composite

The development of new materials and surface functionalization processes has been extensively studied to further improve the performance of implants. This work explores the direct laser writing method as a potential alternative to produce controlled textures on the surface of traditional 3Y-TZP and a novel high-toughness composite (Ce-TZP/Al2O3/SrAl12O19). A 532 nm picosecond laser source is used to produce lines in sintered samples of both materials with different values of laser fluence, repetition rate, and scanning speed. The resulting textured samples are analyzed using confocal and scanning electron microscopes. Both materials were successfully textured using the laser technique, but the groove morphology and geometry are highly dependent on the parameters used. While low energy results in shallow and irregular grooves, high energy can result in crack and resolidification layer. Overall, for the same set of parameters, the laser produced wider and deeper grooves in the nanocomposite (up to 30 µm wide and 26 µm deep) than in the 3Y-TZP (up to 12 µm wide and 6 µm deep). Hence, this work showed the feasibility of laser texturing of traditional 3Y-TZP and the novel Ce-TZP/Al2O3/SrAl12O19 that can be further explored to functionalize their surfaces for biomedical applications.