Micro-Groove Fabrication and Simulation Analysis on PEEK Surface under UV Nanosecond Laser Irradiation

This study investigates the interaction mechanism between ultraviolet nanosecond pulsed lasers and polyetheretherketone (PEEK). By integrating finite element simulations with experimental validation, the work explores the laser microtexturing characteristics of PEEK surfaces and evaluates the influence of microtextures on the material’s surface biocompatibility. First, the interaction between the laser and the PEEK polymer was analyzed, and a laser ablation model was established using the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation platform. Using finite element simulation, the effects of spot overlap ratio were investigated by adjusting the average laser power, while the influence of single-pulse energy on the ablation characteristics of the PEEK surface was examined by varying the scanning speed. Subsequently, ultraviolet nanosecond laser processing experiments were conducted on planar PEEK microtextures based on the simulation results. Taking surface microgrooves on PEEK as representative structures, the variations in groove depth and width under different combinations of laser parameters were analyzed. The parameters, including average laser power, scanning speed, and repetition frequency, were optimized to identify processing conditions that yield stable depth and width, along with good surface flatness. Finally, experiments have initially verified that the microtextured PEEK surface may improve biocompatibility and regulate surface wettability to a certain extent.