Zirconia is known to be a hard-to-machine in the sintered state. In this study, the zirconia samples were patterned and then sintered. A nanosecond Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 and was used to pattern the zirconia surface. A confined plasma was formed through the interaction between the laser beam and a copper grid template. The template was covered by a sacrificial aluminum layer, and the plasma was confined using a glass slide. The size and depth of the pattern were shown to be dependent on the shape of the grid, fluence, exposure time, confinement medium, wavelength, and beam spot size. We successfully achieved patterns ranging in size from 7 μm to 40 μm with depths of up to 3 μm. The resulting patterned surfaces were characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The findings on the nature of the patterning will help in controlling functionality of zirconia, such as hardness, biofilm formation, and osteointegration.
|