Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) achieves high-precision 3D cell immobilization within extracellular matrices using a sub-ns Nd:YAG laser. Rheological analyses and dynamic imaging optimize biofabrication, showcasing potential applications in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Industrial ultrashort pulse laser advancements culminate in the 1-kW-average-power TruMicro 9000 laser, delivering up to 10 mJ pulses. Diffractive beam splitting increases throughput significantly, but spatio-temporal distortions require careful compensation for industrial-scale ultrafast processing.

In our reserch, we demonstrated that the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) in air and nitrogen atmospheres on the surface of aluminium current collectors allows a significant reduction in cell resistance.

Pump-probe microscopy (PPM) is a powerful technique for investigating ultrafast laser ablation. However, establishing a quantitative link between transient optical signals and final-state measurements remains challenging. This study addresses the issue by examining the ablation dynamics of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 and the high-entropy alloy CrMnFeCoNi.

Transfer-matrix analysis of PPM measurements reveals that Newton ring contrasts provide a quantitative assessment of the spallation layer thickness, showing good agreement with final crater depths. Temporal signatures offer a clear window into the formation and disintegration of the spallation layer. The lower ablation efficiency of AISI 304, compared to CrMnFeCoNi, is attributed to an enhanced photothermal contribution, leading to a more pronounced ablation plume. This effect is evidenced by higher absorption and, consequently, reduced Newton ring contrasts.

These findings demonstrate the potential of PPM to quantitatively link transient dynamics to final-state observables, advancing the understanding of laser-driven processes.

Pump-probe microscopy is an essential tool for studying laser-matter interaction. However, the imaging of laser-induced surface acoustic waves (SAWs) has not been possible with a conventional setup. In this study, we present a new approach to detect laser-induced SAWs on silicon and thin metal films with a conventional setup and discuss the mechanisms behind it. To detect the SAWs, the focal plane of the probe beam has to be shifted into the microscope objective. In doing so, nonlinear absorption or Kerr lens focusing inside of the objective could act as a background filter or dark field mode. In the future, this effect could provide new insights into the phenomena of laser-matter interaction, photoacoustic effects, especially at high intensities, and materials science.

With pulsed laser ablation in liquid ligand-free nanoparticles from virtually any material can be produced. Recent developments in the process design allowed the technique to reach gram per hour nanoparticle productivity. However, little attention has been paid to how the alteration of the laser ablation dynamics by the presence of the liquid layer influences ablation efficiency. For this, we connect results of pump-probe microscopy and absorption corrected ablation efficiency measurements. The time-resolved experiments demonstrate redeposition, which up until now was only shown by computational methods. In conjunction with the efficiency measurements this allows to determine that more than 80% of the ablated material is redeposited. Our results demonstrate that redeposition during laser ablation in liquid fundamentally limits ablation efficiency. Based on this, strategies such as employing double pulses or using microparticles as target materials may be formulated to reduce redeposition, increase ablation efficiency, and further scale up the LAL process.