Surface modifications of polylactide nanofiber nonwovens and bulk material by short and ultrashort pulsed laser radiation

Electrospun polylactide (PLA) nanofiber nonwovens are promising candidates for applications in tissue engineering. They may combine the advantageous chemical properties of PLA with a highly porous three-dimensional structure, which promotes the transportation of nutrients and the cell proliferation into the scaffolds. In this work, we tested different laser micro material processing strategies to optimize the surface topography of PLA nanofiber nonwovens for cell attachment. It was found, that the wetting behavior of the nonwoven samples could be switched between a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic behavior by balancing laser induced thermal processes and gentle laser ablation.