Laser micromachining and modification of bioabsorbable polymers

摘要

In this research the influence of laser micromachining on physicochemical properties of bioabsorbable polymer was investigated. Poly(1-lactide) (PLLA), commonly used for manufacturing non-permanent biomedical devices, was irradiated with varying fluences by CO_2 laser and by KrF excimer laser. To evaluate modification of the material, several analytical techniques were used: ATR (attenuated total reflection), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry). We found that the laser-affected material has lower glass transition (T_g) and melting (T_m) temperatures. CO_2 and KrF excimer lasers can be successfully used for cutting and drilling of polylactide.