Femtosecond laser microstructuring of alumina toughened zirconia for surface functionalization of dental implants

The continuous need for high-performance implants that can withstand mechanical loads while promoting implant integration into bone has focused recent research on the surface modification of hard ceramics. Their properties of biocompatibility, high mechanical and fatigue resistance and aesthetic color have contributed to its succefull applications in dentistry. Alumina toughened Zirconia (ATZ) has been gaining attention as a material for dental implants applications due to its advanced mechanical properties and minimal degradation at body temperature. Still, in order to improve tissue response to this bioinert material, additional modifications are desirable. Improving the surface functionality of this ceramic could lead to enhanced implant-tissue interaction and subsequently, a successful implant integration. In this work, microtopographies were developed on the surface of Alumina toughened Zirconia using an ultrafast laser methodology, aiming at improving the cellular response to this ceramic. Microscale grooves and grid-like geometries were produced on ATZ ceramics by femtosecond laser ablation, with a pulse width of 150 fs, wavelength of 800 nm and repetition rate of 1 kHz. The variation of surface topography, roughness, chemistry and wettability with different laser processing parameters was examined. Cell-surface interactions were evaluated for 7 days on both microstructured surfaces and a non-treated control with pre-osteoblasts, MC3T3-E1 cells. Both surface topographies showed to improve cell response, with increased metabolic activity when compared to the untreated control and modulating cell morphology up to 7 days. The obtained results suggest that femtosecond laser texturing may be a suitable non-contact methodology for creating tunable micro-scale surface topography on ATZ ceramics to enhance the biological response.