Fabrication of robust superhydrophobic copper surface via highly efficient nanosecond laser-based surface functionalization

Abstract

Creation of superhydrophobic surface via laser-based surface texturing has received considerable attention during the past decades. However, processing efficiency of the fabrication technique and robustness of the fabricated surface have been the major barriers that limit their wider applications. In this work, a laser-based surface functionalization technique was developed for fabrication of robust superhydrophobic surface with a highly efficient processing manner. Laser surface texturing was firstly employed to generate hierarchical surface structures, and silicone oil dripping and heat treatment were further utilized to modify the surface chemistry which ensures the realization of superhydrophobicity. The laser-based functionalized superhydrophobic surface also exhibits remarkable stability and durability subject to long-time storage in air and tape peeling test. More importantly, the developed technique only requires a total post-process treatment duration of ∼5–10 min, which takes significantly less time than the conventional chemical modification methods such as prolonged aging in air, deposition of chemical coating and low-temperature annealing. The high processing efficiency and surface robustness of the laser-based surface functionalization technique could potentially enable more practical applications in diverse areas.