Patterning of magnesium with silver nanoparticles using laser assisted direct writing

Surface patterning of biodegradable materials such as magnesium may improve cell adhesion and infiltration. In addition to biocompatibility, other properties of magnesium and its alloys such as load bearing capacity, desirable low elastic modulus and corrosion resistance have attracted researchers to work on the development of biodegradable magnesium devices. In this paper, a finite element model is developed in order to simulate a laser-based direct writing process, called laser-assisted maskless micro-deposition (LAMM), for the deposition and sintering of silver patterns on magnesium substrates. The model consists of a thermal model, for determining the temperature history of the process, coupled with a diffusion model, for defining the diffusion penetration of the silver layer into the magnesium substrate.