Recently, the Korean Electric Research Institute (KERI), a specialized research institution in the field of electricity under the National Academy of Science and Technology, under the Ministry of Science and Technology Information and Communications, stated that the research team at the Electrical Medical Device Research Center has developed a technology for surface treatment of titanium materials using femtosecond lasers.

Femto second laser refers to a laser system technology that produces pulses with extremely short duration, equivalent to only one thousandth of a second, which is also a research achievement that KERI is proud of. High pulse repetition rate and average output rate, and long-term operation can also ensure stable output rate, which is expected to be applied in the industrial field of ultra-fine machining.

One of the key factors for the commercialization of femtosecond lasers is processing speed. In order to use femtosecond lasers for fine processing, existing technologies mainly process materials at a slow speed. However, this method requires a lot of time and there are still considerable difficulties in industrial applications.

The technology developed by KERI not only maintains the precision of femtosecond lasers, but also ensures fast processing speed, making it the best surface treatment system. The research team used a lens with a wide field of view angle. By combining it with a high-speed rotating mirror, femtosecond lasers can also perform stable surface treatment on a wider area.

When KERI applies femtosecond laser to the surface treatment of titanium materials, it not only improves the inherent properties of titanium materials, but also has the potential to produce functional surfaces. Generally speaking, titanium materials are lightweight, high-strength, non-toxic, and can be applied to the human body, making them widely used in the medical field. The use of femtosecond laser can prepare nanoscale tissue structures on the surface of titanium materials, making their surfaces hydrophilic or hydrophobic, making them materials with better therapeutic effects.

It is worth mentioning that the technology developed by KERI is expected to have significant effects in the field of dental implants or in vivo transplantation of medical devices. The hydrophilic titanium material treated with femtosecond laser can be prepared into implant teeth, which have high affinity with the human body and can achieve stable fusion with the human skeleton, thereby greatly shortening the treatment cycle of patients; On the contrary, titanium materials subjected to hydrophobic treatment can be prepared into implanted medical devices in vivo, which helps to reduce foreign body reactions (resistance reactions between substances placed in the body and the human body) in patients.

Chief researcher Zheng Baoshu, who participated in the research and development, stated that in order to achieve the world's leading level of femtosecond laser technology, KERI is conducting research in different basic discipline application fields. The use of this technology for titanium surface treatment has enormous potential in the medical device field, which has attracted much attention. By conducting joint research in the fields of lasers, materials, optics, and processing, we aim to maximize the advantages of femtosecond lasers and construct the optimal surface treatment system.

At present, the technology has been transferred to a material enterprise and preparations for commercialization have been made. In order to truly take root in technology, the KERI research team will continue to provide technical advice and necessary support.