Femtosecond laser micropatterning of chitosan thin films for surface functionalization

The possibility to control surface properties of materials and to tailor behaviour of cells and biomolecules are the basic requirements in the development of a new generation biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering. Surface patterning on micro and nano-scale is critical to distinguish the effects of cell shape, focal adhesion, and ligand input for cell functions. Recently, much attention has been paid to laser-assisted micro and nanofabrication technologies to pattern surfaces with different topographies for providing valuable inside on cell-substrate junction [1]. Laser modification by pulses in the femtosecond time domain, provide a quality of modification of thin films of biopolymers that is unobtainable with longer pulses in the range of nanoseconds [2].