Femtosecond laser-induced periodic nanostructure creation on PET surface for controlling of cell spreading

A new method of periodic nanostructure formation on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface has been developed, employing a femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 1045 nm. To generate structured films, the PET was placed in contact with a silicon (Si) wafer, followed by irradiation with the laser focused on the Si wafer, passing through the PET film. In order to evaluate the surface morphology, atomic force microscopy analysis was conducted on both treated and untreated PET surfaces. From the results, nanostructures with a period of 600 nm and height of 100 nm were formed on the PET film surface by laser treatment. A cell cultivation test was carried out on PET films with and without periodic nanostructures, showing that for nanostructured films, the cells (MG-63) were spread along the periodic grooves; in contrast, random cell spreading was observed for cultures grown on the untreated PET film.