Synergistic Enhancement of Titanium Implant Performance via Laser Texturing and Electrodeposited Antibacterial Coating

YANG Chengjuan; DU Tenglong; GUO Kexin; CHEN Xiaoyu; GENG Hongjuan; NI Na; TIAN Yanling; YANG Zhen

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.02.019

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Surface Technology ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (2) : 254-265. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.02.019

Functional Surfaces and Technology

Synergistic Enhancement of Titanium Implant Performance via Laser Texturing and Electrodeposited Antibacterial Coating

YANG Chengjuan¹, DU Tenglong¹, GUO Kexin², CHEN Xiaoyu³, GENG Hongjuan⁴, NI Na⁴, TIAN Yanling⁵, YANG Zhen^1,*

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Abstract

The work aims to present an integrated surface-engineering strategy that simultaneously maximizes interfacial mechanical stability and biofunctionality of titanium (Ti) implants by coupling femtosecond laser texturing with electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of chitosan/gelatin/minocycline (CS/GT/Mino) coatings. The innovations are twofold: (i) a hierarchical mechanical interlock produced by microgrooves (~25 μm wide, ~5 μm deep, 50 μm pitch) and subwavelength LIPSS (~500 nm), and (ii) gas-evolution management in EPD with 0.5% v/v H₂O₂ to suppress cathodic hydrogen evolution, eliminating porosity and interfacial voids. This co-design converts a typically weak polymer/metal interface into a defect-lean, high-strength junction while preserving drug activity and controlled release.
Laser processing (1 064 nm, 300 fs, 1 W, 300 kHz; scanning 250/1 000 mm/s; spot 20/40 μm; two passes; linear polarization) yielded uniform hierarchical textures that darkened Ti surfaces due to morphology/oxide changes. XPS survey and high-resolution spectra indicated TiO₂ (Ti⁴⁺ at 458.6/464.3 eV) with limited chemical alteration versus polished Ti, implicating topography—not chemistry—as the dominant driver of cell responses. CLSM confirmed groove geometry. Laser-induced superhydrophilicity transitioned to hydrophobicity after EPD drying, consistent with surface enrichment of hydrophobic Mino moieties.
At pH 4, Zeta measurements showed positively charged species (CS (11.8 ± 1.11) mV; CS/GT/Mino (28.7 ± 2.69) mV) and 3-6 μm microspheres, promoting cathodic migration. FTIR resolved CS (1 159, 1 030, 1 599 cm^-1), GT (amide Ⅰ 1 633 cm^-1; amide Ⅱ 1 544 cm^-1), and Mino (1 651, 1 604, 1 524 cm^-1). Coatings exhibited diagnostic amide I shifts: red-shift to 1 631 cm^-1 (M0.5) evidencing CS-GT hydrogen/ionic bonding and blue-shift to 1 641 cm^-1 (M5) suggesting weaker Mino-matrix hydrogen bonding at higher loading. Mino fingerprints (800-900 cm^-1) confirmed drug encapsulation. These spectra supported a dual retention mechanism—network entrapment plus weak intermolecular bonding—governing release.
Single-lap shear testing demonstrated a decisive mechanical advance: interfacial shear strength increased from 5.7 MPa (polished) to 33.9 MPa on laser-textured Ti (≈6×). The improvement stemed from increased effective contact area with undercuts, superwetting-assisted sol infiltration before drying, and H₂O₂ suppression of hydrogen porosity that otherwise seeded debonding. Higher drug loading (M5) further elevated adhesion, consistent with GT crosslink-enhanced cohesion and more ordered packing. The achieved strength exceeded typical polymer EPD coatings under comparable metrics.
Drug-release quantification (UV-Vis at 244 nm) showed total Mino loading ~300 μg for M0.5 on both substrates. Both released >50% within 4 h. Polished samples almost completed release by day 1, whereas textured substrates sustained release up to 7 days, attributable to increased tortuosity and microreservoir effects within grooves. Since early kinetics were matrix-degradation dominated and texture imparted moderate delay here, a stronger effect was expected with slower-degrading matrices where diffusion controlled.
Agar-zone antibacterial assays confirmed dose-dependent inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for M0.5/M5, with larger zones for M5. Laser texture alone showed no ZOI, indicating a division of labor between topology for interlocking/bioguidance and pharmacological killing. Cytocompatibility with MC3T3-E1 remained high. M0.5 displayed negligible cytotoxicity, and M5 showed mild activity suppression within acceptable ranges, partly mitigated by GT's adhesion-promoting motifs.
Fluorescence imaging (days 1 and 7) revealed dual guidance by grooves and LIPSS: increased cell area, aspect ratio, and nuclear alignment along the texture axis. This was attributed to focal adhesion enrichment on ridge/edge regions, integrin clustering, and LINC-mediated nucleus-cytoskeleton coupling, linking interfacial mechanics to osteoinductive signaling.
Mechanistic synthesis: femtosecond textures create multiscale mechanical keys and anisotropic guidance; H₂O₂-managed EPD eliminates gas defects for full interlock occupancy; CS/GT/Mino networks immobilize antibiotics via entrapment/weak bonding while hierarchical topography lengthens diffusion paths. The result is a scalable, single-process pipeline delivering high interfacial integrity (33.9 MPa), early potent antibacterial action with extended release on textured substrates, and topography-driven osteogenic cues.

Key words

femtosecond laser texturing / electrophoretic deposition / chitosan/gelatin/minocycline coating / antibacterial activity / osseointegration / shear strength / sustained release

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YANG Chengjuan, DU Tenglong, GUO Kexin, CHEN Xiaoyu, GENG Hongjuan, NI Na, TIAN Yanling, YANG Zhen. Synergistic Enhancement of Titanium Implant Performance via Laser Texturing and Electrodeposited Antibacterial Coating[J]. Surface Technology. 2026, 55(2): 254-265

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