Recent Advances in Cross-Scale Hybrid Laser Precision Processing for Biomedical Materials

In current research, challenges including surface defects, inferior antibacterial performance and insufficient osseointegration of additively manufactured (AM) metallic medical implants have severely undermined their long-term clinical success. Accordingly, we have explored new cross-scale hybrid laser manufacturing technology, which is designed to simultaneously optimize physical topography, chemical properties and biological functions of biomedical material surfaces, so as to achieve synergistic enhancement of antibacterial efficacy and osteogenic capacity. For instance, laser polishing has been primarily adopted to reduce surface roughness and improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of materials. On this basis, femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) have been fabricated to construct micro-nano hierarchical topographies, which guide the oriented alignment of fibroblasts and osteoblasts, and enhance cell adhesion as well as osteogenic differentiation. Meanwhile, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are introduced onto the surface via laser cladding or deposition approaches, realizing long-term antibacterial activity through the sustained release of Ag+. Moreover, Controllable hierarchical LIPSS have been fabricated on silicon substrates via femtosecond laser processing, enabling the integrated detection of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) for rapid glucose detection. Therefore, cross-scale hybrid laser manufacturing offers a clean, scalable, and synergistically optimized novel pathway for the development of high-performance, multifunctional and personalized biomedical materials.

Prof. Guan is Head of the Department of Materials Processing in the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation at Beihang University. Her research interests lie in cross-scale, multi-material laser precision manufacturing for high-end equipments and key processes for practical applications.