Description
Abstract: Surface wettability has an enormous influence on the functionality of materials, since corrosion, surface lubrication, or heat transmission, are based on the liquid-solid contact. A great research effort has been done in the last decades to develop new techniques able to change the surface wettability of different materials. Non-contact laser-based treatments appear as alternatives to classical techniques that have limitations to satisfy the increasingly demanding requirements of wettability.
We used an IR nanosecond laser to change the wettability of aluminum alloy 2024-T3 samples. A systematic study was carried out to find the effects of main processing parameters apart from wavelength: laser power, pulse frequency and scanning speed. Suitable laser processing conditions were identified to produce superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces.
Authors: P. Pou, J.del Val, A. Riveiro, R.Comesaña, F. Arias-González, F. Lusquiños, A. Badaoui, and J.Pou
Keywords: Laser, wettability, superhydrophobic, superhydrophilic