The present work evaluates the thermal behavior of graphene oxide (GO) when deposited on 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA), in order to develop a medical device for photothermal therapy applications. An experimental-numerical analysis was performed to assess the photothermal conversion capacity, based on the power emitted by a NIR (785 nm) laser, and the subsequent temperature distribution on the GO-PLA material. The influence of the deposited mass of GO and the PLA thickness was studied through 40 different scenarios. The results estimated a value of photothermal conversion efficiency of up to 32.6%, achieved for the lower laser power density that was tested (0.335 mW/mm²), and a high mass value of deposited GO (1.024 × 10-3 mg/mm²). In fact, an optimal mass of GO in the range of 1.024-2.048 × 10-3 mg/mm2 is proposed, in terms of absorption capacity, since a higher mass of GO would not increase the conversion efficiency. Moreover, the study allowed for an estimation of the thermal conductivity of this specific biomaterial (0.064 W/m·K), and proved that a proper combination of GO mass, PLA thickness, and laser power can induce ablative (>60 °C, in a concentrated area), moderate (50 °C), and mild (43 °C) hyperthermia on the bottom face of the biomaterial.
Keywords: PLA; graphene; laser; phototherapy; simulation.