The development of new biological devices in response to market demands requires continuous efforts for the improvement of products’ functionalization based upon expansion of the materials used and their fabrication techniques. One viable solution consists of a functionalization substrate covered by layers via an appropriate deposition technique. Laser techniques ensure an enhanced coating’s adherence to the substrate and improved biological characteristics, not compromising the mechanical properties of the functionalized medical device. This is a review of the main laser techniques involved. We mainly refer to pulse laser deposition, matrix-assisted, and laser simple and double writing versus some other well-known deposition methods as magnetron sputtering, 3D bioprinting, inkjet printing, extrusion, solenoid, fuse-deposition modeling, plasma spray (PS), and dip coating. All these techniques can be extended to functionalize surface fabrication to change local morphology, chemistry, and crystal structure, which affect the biomaterial behavior following the chosen application. Surface functionalization laser techniques are strictly controlled within a confined area to deliver a large amount of energy concisely. The laser deposit performances are presented compared to reported data obtained by other techniques.

Femtosecond laser pulses are currently regarded as an emerging and promising tool for processing wide bandgap dielectric materials across a variety of high-end applications, although the associated physical phenomena are not yet fully understood. To address these challenges, we propose an original, fully analytical model combined with Two Temperatures Model (TTM) formalism. The model is applied to describe the interaction of fs laser pulses with a typical dielectric target (e.g., Sapphire). It describes the heating of dielectrics, such as Sapphire, under irradiation by fs laser pulses in the range of (10¹²–10¹⁴) W/cm². The proposed formalism was implemented to calculate the free electron density, while numerical simulations of temperature field evolution within the dielectrics were conducted using the TTM. Mathematical models have rarely been used to solve the TTM in the context of laser–dielectric interactions. Unlike the TTM applied to metals, which requires solving two heat equations, for dielectrics the free electron density must first be determined. We propose an analytical model to solve the TTM equations using this parameter. A new simulation model was developed, combining the equations for non-equilibrium electron density determination with the TTM equations. Our analyses revealed the non-linear nature of the physical phenomena involved and the inapplicability of the Beer–Lambert law for fs laser pulse interactions with dielectric targets at incident laser fluences ranging from 6 to 20 J/cm².

Nowadays, metamaterials application enjoys notoriety in fluid decontamination and pathogen annihilation, which are frequently present in polluted fluids (e.g., water, blood, blood plasma, air or other gases). The depollution effect is largely enhanced by UVC irradiation. The novelty of this contribution comes from the significant increase by packing of the total surface of metamaterials in contact with contaminated fluids. Packed metamaterial samples are subjected to UVC irradiation, with expected advantages for implant sterilization and long-term prevention of nosocomial infections over large clinical areas. The novel aspect of the investigation consists of a combination of big and small elements of the metamaterial to optimize the above effects connected with fluids and irradiation. The big elements allow the radiation to penetrate deep inside the fluid, and the small elements optimally disperse this radiation toward deeper regions of the metamaterial. A packing scheme of smaller, in-between large metamaterial spheres and fibres is proposed for promoting enhanced depollution against pathogen agents. It is demonstrated that the total surface of metamaterials in contact with contaminated fluids/surface is significantly increased as a result of packing. This opens, in our opinion, new auspicious perspectives in the construction of novel equipment with high sensibility in the detection and decontamination of microorganisms.

The ultrafast fs laser pulse heating of thin metal films is studied for the first time using the two-temperature model on the basis of the Fokker–Planck formalism. The incident laser radiation is multi-modal, while the electron temperature is described during the first 2 fs. The predictions are intended for use by experimentalists in optoelectronics, photonics, laser processing, electronics, and bio- and nanomedicine. The crucial role of the nano-sized spatial dimensions of the metal sample is highlighted. A significant result of this study is the interdependence between the target’s size, the phonon/lattice characteristics, and the coefficient β (the quotient of non-diffusive phenomena), which varies between zero (pure diffusive case) and one (pure non-diffusive case).

Additive manufacturing has recently become a key enabling technology in industrial fields, ranging from customized products for everyday usage to aerospace applications and small-batch industrial tooling. The future prospects extend up to the biofabrication of human organs. Ensuring the quality and repeatability of this process requires a systematic and comprehensive investigation of the underlying physical phenomena. In particular, melt-pool evolution is a critical feature, since irregularities in its spatial profile can influence microstructural evolution and weaken the integrity of the manufactured part. Microscale defects arising from balling and keyhole phenomena, often associated with recoil pressure, can severely degrade the quality of the resulting scanned track. This paper reviews the current state of optical approaches for melt-pool characterization and feature monitoring relevant to industrial laser additive manufacturing for process control and quality improvement, with a special focus on pyrometry and high-speed imaging. A single high-speed camera was generally used in experiments for melt-pool feature extraction, but two cameras were used to bypass emissivity values, which are otherwise difficult to obtain. Mathematical models were introduced to provide complementary information about melt-pool features, while artificial intelligence algorithms were used in other cases to process optical information. New melt-pool imaging databases and classifiers are expected in the near future to enable fast selection of appropriate process parameter windows, eliminating costly trial-and-error experiments.

A semi-analytical-numerical solution is theorized to describe the laser additive manufacturing via laser-bulk ceramic interaction modeling. The Fourier heat equation was used to infer the thermal distribution within the ceramic sample. Appropriate boundary conditions, including convection and radiation, were applied to the bulk sample. It was irradiated with a Gaussian spatial continuous mode fiber laser (λ = 1.075 µm) while a Lambert-Beer law was assumed to describe the laser beam absorption. A close correlation between computational predictions versus experimental results was validated in the case of laser additive manufacturing of silicon nitride bulk ceramics. The thermal field value rises but stays confined within the irradiated zone due to heat propagation with an infinite speed, a characteristic of the Fourier heat equation. An inverse correlation was observed between the laser beam scanning speed and thermal distribution intensity. Whenever the laser scanning speed increases, photons interact with and transfer less energy to the sample, resulting in a lower thermal distribution intensity. This model could prove useful for the description and monitoring of low-intensity laser beam-ceramic processing.