Surface Characteristics of Medical Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass Processed by Femtosecond Laser

A medical Zr-based bulk metallic glass linear structure was treated by scanning its surface using a femtosecond laser. The surface morphological changes in the samples were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The contact angles of the samples before, directly after fabrication, and three months after fabrication were measured using a contact angle meter, and the surface chemical composition was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectrometer. An electrochemical workstation was used to compare the corrosion speed before and after fabrication. Although the initial surface of the "Zr-based bulk metallic glass exhibited a certain degree of hydrophilicity, after microstructural surface treatment by a femtosecond laser, the hydrophilicity was considerably improved. The contact angle of the surface after femtosecond laser treatment increased significantly after 3 months of indoor scaling bag preservation. The open-circuit voltage of the samples before and after processing was - 0.96 V and -0.93 V, respectively. After the femtosecond processing, the Zr-based bulk metallic glass had a higher open-circuit voltage and better corrosion resistance than the unprocessed sample. Experimental results show that the bulk metallic glass surface treated by the femtosecond laser is more hydrophilic and corrosion resistant, thus enhancing its applicability as a medical implant in the human body.