Plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on femtosecond laser-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy for bio-implant use

Owing to the poor osseointegration capability, titanium implants may fail and are accompanied by bone resorption. As a result, the utilization of lasers for texturing the implant's surface has been deliberated as an indispensable and inventive approach for improved bone-implant contact by generating micro- and nano-scale surface topographies. Hence, the study aimed to examine the effect of femtosecond laser (Fs) and plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating on the surface characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with the evaluation of surface characterization, phase analysis, surface roughness, wettability, hardness, corrosion behavior, and adhesion potential. As per our study's result, it has been deduced that Fs texturing with and without PEO coating can be considered to be the innovative surface modification alternatives for biomaterials due to improved hydrophilicity, corrosion resistance, and surface roughness properties with hardness comparable to that of cortical bone thereby enhancing osseointegration capacity of bone to the implant. Also, a cell culture test was performed using MC3T3-E1 cells that indicated that Fs texturing and combined Fs texturing and PEO-coating can promote high cellular proliferation.