Controllable structures on the surface of natural polymers made by proton beam writing and femtosecond laser treatment

Microstructures with a given topology were created on the surface of pure chitosan films and the same films with nanometer Ti- and Zn-containing layers deposited by magnetron sputtering. These structures were obtained using two methods: proton lithography and femtosecond laser processing. The quality of the structures (the sharpness of the walls and the thickness of the channel) is comparable to the quality of the structures obtained in the classical synthetic resist for proton lithography (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA). A thin metal layer on the surface of the biopolymer matrix (resist) does not interfere with the formation of structures by the proton beam writing method. Laser treatment allows us to create repeating structures that control the biocompatibility of the treated surface. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.