Ultrahard Materials Research Articles

Prediction of crystal structures and superconductivity of actinium borides at high pressures

Abstract To investigate potential compounds that may emerge in actinium borides at high-pressure conditions. In this work, we carried out systematic crystal structure search procedure on the Ac-B compounds from 0 to 300 GPa conditions based on evolutionary algorithms and density functional theory (DFT). We discovered a stable phase AcB6 at 0 GPa with common structure of hexaboride and three phases AcB, AcB8 and Ac2B11 at higher pressures in the Ac-B system. Our results show that Ac2B11 exhibits a Vickers hardness of approximately 31 GPa and a superconducting transition temperature Tc of 14.4 K at 0 GPa. The structure of Ac2B11 resembles a middle phase evolving from the hexaboride AcB6 towards a class of pentaboride structures, characterized by the formation of a B22 cage structure resulting from further boron enrichment based on the B20 cage, or derived from the partial dimerization of the B24 cage found in hexaborides. We believe that this configuration may hold significant potential as a parent matrix for the design of interesting ultra-hard materials with relatively high superconducting transition temperatures.

Experimental study on single crystal diamond CMP based on Fenton reaction and analysis of oxidation mechanism

Single crystal diamond (SCD) is an ultra-hard semiconductor material with exceptional chemical inertness, posing challenges for conventional oxidants to induce oxidation. The highly electronegative and potent ·OH produced by the Fenton reaction possesses significant importance in enabling efficient and high-quality polishing of SCD. This study delved into optimizing the Fenton reaction polishing slurry through orthogonal experiments and explored its influence on SCD CMP concerning various mechanical factors. Findings indicated that pH value, Fe3O4 concentration, and H2O2 concentration had a significant impact on the material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness of SCD CMP, with Fe3O4 particle size playing a comparatively minor role. The optimized Fenton reaction polishing slurry achieved a peak MRR of 742.7 nm/h and a minimum surface roughness Ra of 0.240 nm. The acidic Fenton reaction polishing slurry generated H+ and ·OH, which interacted with the surface of SCD, forming an oxidation layer consisting of C–O/C–H and CO groups, thereby facilitating SCD material removal. This study provides a theoretical basis for the broader application of the Fenton reaction in SCD CMP at scale.

Exceptional Hardness and Thermal Properties of SiC/(Hf,Ta)C(N)/(B)C Ceramic Composites Derived from Single‐Source Precursor

In the present work, monolithic SiC/(Hf0.75Ta0.25)C(N)/(B)C ceramic composites are prepared via spark plasma sintering of amorphous SiHfTa(B)CN‐based powders synthesized from single‐source precursors. The as‐sintered ceramic nanocomposites are investigated by X‐ray diffraction, Raman, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy in order to study their microstructure and chemical composition. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity, the thermal expansion, as well as the hardness and Young's moduli of the prepared monolithic samples are determined. The incorporation of boron in the system results in enhanced densification due to decreased porosity and improved distribution of the individual phases in the composite after sintering. These favorable effects also positively influence the thermomechanical properties of the composite. The boron‐modified sample displays a decreased thermal diffusivity and conductivity compared with the boron‐free sample. Additionally, a macro‐hardness obtained by Vickers indentation of 31 GPa is achieved for loads up to 196 N, surpassing the hardness of ultrahard materials like silicon carbide, hafnium carbide, and tantalum carbide as well as their solid solutions. Young's moduli of the composites were analyzed to 405 ± 10 and 277.5 ± 41 GPa for the boron‐containing and boron‐free samples, respectively.

Performance indicators of cutting tools from extra hard materials

Purpose. Establishing dependencies connecting the system of indicators of the processing process with technical limitations, on the one hand, and the area of existence of the parameters of turning wear-resistant cast iron with a tool made of superhard polycrystalline materials, reflecting the technical and economic indicators of the process, on the other. The methods. In the work, the structural-static dependence of the probability of non-destruction of the tool (composite) is proposed, which is a component of the mathematical model for calculating the parameters of the turning process. Findings. The most characteristic failures of blades from the point of view of the operational reliability of cutting tools are extreme wear as a result of natural wear (gradual failure) and destruction (painting) of the cutting edge as a result of the manifestation of hidden defects of the tool material or exceeding permissible loads and loss of fatigue strength during wear). According to these failure criteria, the initial indicators of the durability and failure-freeness of cutting tools in the theory of cutting and the system of operation of cutting tools are the period of stability. The efficiency of high-strength cast iron turning is inextricably linked to the wear resistance and strength of the tool materials used. The prospect of expanding the use of polycrystalline materials, taking into account boron nitride (composites), emerges from the comparison of the main performance indicators of tool materials. The analysis and experience of using ultra-hard polycrystalline materials showed that with the same cutting depth, lower feed, and high cutting speed, composites provide the largest volume work. The originality. The paper establishes the dependence of the parameters of the cutting tool made of superhard materials on the main parameters of the turning process of cast iron. With the use of grapho-analytical analysis, the primary influence of cutting depth on the period of stability and reliability of trouble-free operation of cutting plates made of superhard materials is substantiated. Practical implementation. It was established that when turning cast iron, wear occurs on both the back and front surfaces of the blade. The reason for the wear of the front surface is the presence of a large amount of wear-resistant chromium carbides and the higher hardness of the chips coming off.

Surface Quality and Material Removal Rate in Fabricating Microtexture on Tungsten Carbide via Femtosecond Laser.

Tungsten carbide is currently the most widely used tool material for machining difficult-to-machine materials, such as titanium alloys and nickel-based super alloys. In order to improve the performance of tungsten carbide tools, surface microtexturing, a novel technology that can effectively reduce cutting forces and cutting temperatures and improve wear resistance, has been applied in metalworking processes. However, when fabricating the micro-textures such as micro-grooves or micro-holes on tool surfaces, the significant decrease in material removal rate is a major obstacle. In this study, a straight-groove-array microtexture was fabricated on the surface of tungsten carbide tools via a femtosecond laser with different machining parameters including laser power, laser frequency, and scanning speed. The material removal rate, surface roughness, and the laser-induced periodic surface structure were analyzed. It was found that the increase in the scanning speed decreased the material removal rate, whereas increasing the laser power and laser frequency had the opposite effects on the material removal rate. The laser-induced periodic surface structure was found to have a significant influence on the material removal rate, and the destruction of the laser-induced periodic surface structure was the reason for the reduction in the material removal rate. The results of the study revealed the fundamental mechanisms of the efficient machining method for the fabrication of microtextures on ultrahard materials with an ultrashort laser.

Влияние сульфата железа, сернистого натрия и их смеси на флотацию сфалерита в щелочной среде

Introduction. The quality of the enrichment process is affected by many factors, ranging from the characteristics of the raw materials supplied to the enrichment plant to the enrichment technology and the agents used. Strict process control is required at all stages from mining to concentrate extraction. Copper-zinc ores of Russian deposits are difficult for enrichment due to high mass fraction of pyrite in ore and fine irregular intergrowth of sulfide minerals between themselves and with rock minerals. The practice of enrichment of copper-zinc ores has established that it is impossible to obtain high-quality zinc and pyrite concentrates without adding sphalerite flotation modifier agents to various flotation operations. To improve the flotation activity of sphalerite, copper sulphate is used as an activation additive in the enrichment process chain. Purpose of work. To study the effect of sulfhydryl collectors on flotation of sulfide minerals, and development of innovative technologies of flotation of copper-zinc and polymetallic ores considering the acidity of the environment. Materials and methods. In the experimental part of the work, several methods of materials and agents preparing were used, a variety of equipment was used, as well as methods of analysis and processing of results. The material composition and grain size distribution of sphalerite was studied using the MLA System Quanta. X-ray phase analysis of sphalerite was carried out at the University of science and technology "MISIS" in Research Laboratory of ultra-hard materials on Rigaku Geigerflex device using monochromatized CuKα-radiation. Thermographic studies were carried out using a Q -1500D derivatograph. The following flotation agents were used in the work: collector - butyl potassium xanthate, foam agent MIBC, medium regulator - lime, modifiers - iron sulfate, sodium sulphide and mixture of iron sulfate and sodium sulphide. Flotation experiments were carried out on the laboratory flotation machine FL-189 G. Results. The kinetics of sphalerite flotation is characterized not by a single value of the flotation kinetics constant for all flotation mineral grains, but by a set of such values corresponding to quite certain fractions of sphalerite extracted in the foams product. It has been found that in the initial period of flotation the mineral grains with a high value of the flotation velocity constant are flotated, and in the final period of flotation the grains of the same mineral with a low value of the same flotation velocity constant are flotated. Discussion. The introduction of iron (II) sulphate into the mineral slurry leads to a redistribution of the flocculated mineral between medium and lightly flocculated fractions. This indicates that iron (II) sulphate acts as an activator for sphalerite flotation. At a low flow rate of this agent, the proportion of medium flotable fractions increases and the proportion of easily and hardly flotable fractions decreases. With increase in the agent consumption up to 400 g/t and more, the opposite picture is observed - the proportion of medium flotable fraction decreases and the proportion of easily flotable fraction increases in flocculated sphalerite. The replacement of iron (II) sulphate by sodium sulphate has the opposite effect on the flotation spectrum of sphalerite. The introduction of a mineral suspension of a solution of sodium sulfide and iron (II) sulfate into the liquid phase at a consumption of 200 g/t of each agent leads to a decrease in the proportion of easily and especially medium floatable fractions of the mineral and an increase in the proportion of difficultly floatable fractions. Conclusions: 1. An increase in the pH of pulp liquid phase leads to a decrease in the extraction of zinc concentrate in the foam product during flotation with butyl xanthate. 2. The introduction of a solution of sodium sulfide with ferrous sulfate reduces the floatability of the mineral, which is reflected in a decrease in the extraction of zinc concentrate. 3. Sodium sulfide and iron sulphate, while simultaneously dosing them into the flotation pulp, act as depressants in the sphalerite flotation process. 4. Sodium sulfide depresses sphalerite at all studied pH concentrations. Resume. The results of the research can be useful in improving the methods for processing sulfide ores (lead-zinc and copper-zinc) which are included in the group of polymetallic ores. The developed methods of flotation processing make it possible to improve the quality of enrichment and increase the extraction of a valuable component.

Powder Metallurgy Processing and Characterization of the χ Phase Containing Multicomponent Al-Cr-Fe-Mn-Mo Alloy

High entropy alloys present many promising properties, such as high hardness or thermal stability, and can be candidates for many applications. Powder metallurgy techniques enable the production of bulk alloys with fine microstructures. This study aimed to investigate powder metallurgy preparation, i.e., mechanical alloying and sintering, non-equiatomic high entropy alloy from the Al-Cr-Fe-Mn-Mo system. The structural and microstructural investigations were performed on powders and the bulk sample. The indentation was carried out on the bulk sample. The mechanically alloyed powder consists of two bcc phases, one of which is significantly predominant. The annealed powder and the sample sintered at 950 °C for 1 h consist of a predominantly bcc phase (71 ± 2 vol.%), an intermetallic χ phase (26 ± 2 vol.%), and a small volume fraction of multielement carbides—M6C and M23C6. The presence of carbides results from carbon contamination from the balls and vial during mechanical alloying and the graphite die during sintering. The density of the sintered sample is 6.71 g/cm3 (98.4% relative density). The alloy presents a very high hardness of 948 ± 34 HV1N and Young’s modulus of 245 ± 8 GPa. This study showed the possibility of preparing ultra-hard multicomponent material reinforced by the intermetallic χ phase. The research on this system presented new knowledge on phase formation in multicomponent systems. Moreover, strengthening the solid solution matrix via hard intermetallic phases could be interesting for many industrial applications.

Hardness and Mechanical Properties of Wurtzite B–C–N Compounds

Diamond, cubic BN (c-BN), and cubic B–C–N compounds, i.e., c-BCXN, are well-known ultrahard materials. While cubic phases of these materials are relatively stable and have been widely studied, recent experimental and theoretical studies have reported evidence that indentation hardness can be significantly enhanced in wurtzite phases of BN (w-BN) and diamond, i.e., lonsdaleite. However, the mechanical properties and hardness of wurtzite B–C–N compounds have been less explored. In this study, we systemically investigated wurtzite B–C–N compounds (w-BCXN), such as wurtzite BCN (w-BCN), BC2N (w-BC2N), and BC4N (w-BC4N), and compared their properties with those of c- and w-BN, diamond, and lonsdaleite. Although w-BCXN shows relatively high formation energies compared with the others, configurational entropy can assist the compounds to be stabilized at elevated growth temperatures (over 2700 K). In addition, w-BCXN exhibits a relatively superior hardness, which increases with the C ratio. Our results provide a basic understanding of w-BCXN as a possible family of superhard materials.

Structural Influence of Lone Pairs in GeP2 N4 , a Germanium(II) Nitridophosphate.

Owing to their widespread properties, nitridophosphates are of high interest in current research. Explorative high-pressure high-temperature investigations yielded various compounds with stoichiometry MP2 N4 (M=Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Mn, Cd), which are discussed as ultra-hard or luminescent materials, when doped with Eu2+ . Herein, we report the first germanium nitridophosphate, GeP2 N4 , synthesized from Ge3 N4 and P3 N5 at 6 GPa and 800 °C. The structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and further characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, IR and NMR spectroscopy. The highly condensed network of PN4 -tetrahedra shows a strong structural divergence to other MP2 N4 compounds, which is attributed to the stereochemical influence of the lone pair of Ge2+ . Thus, the formal exchange of alkaline earth cations with Ge2+ may open access to various compounds with literature-known stoichiometry, however, new structures and properties.

Hot isostatic pressing of WB4 and WB4-TaB2 based ultrahard materials

Ultrahard WB4-B and WB4-TaB2 based materials have been obtained by applying glass encapsulated HIPing to mixtures comprised of WB4 and free boron with and without metallic tantalum additions. Porosity removal is more efficient in the alloy containing metallic tantalum, achieving near full density at temperatures 300 °C lower than those reported so far for these materials. The WB4 phase is better stabilished by HIPing at 1350 °C than at 1100 °C. This is due to the formation of TaB2, which, at 1100 °C, likely occurs by direct reaction between metallic Ta and the surrounding WB4 particles. At 1350 °C, diffusion is enhanced and the reaction between free B and Ta particles becomes more probable. The hardness of hipped specimens ranges from 43 GPa to 24 GPa depending on the applied load. K1c values calculated from indentation cracks reach 5.6 MPa.m1/2, assuming Palmqvist type crack shape.

Pulse laser precision truing of the V-shaped coarse-grained electroplating CBN grinding wheel

The machining difficulty has limited the further application of ultra-hard materials. For V-shaped coarse-grained electroplated cubic boron nitride (CBN) grinding wheel, a precise and efficient pulse laser truing method was proposed. Firstly, a theoretical model of the pulse laser truing process was established in order to optimize the laser truing energy distribution. Secondly, the effects of truing depth, grinding wheel speed, laser power and truing time were analyzed. Finally, the grinding performance of laser trued wheels were evaluated. The results showed that larger grinding wheel speed n would bring higher energy value and more stable energy distribution, truing depth h would not affect the value and stability of energy. CBN would not undergo phase transition and could bear more laser power Pavg. With the increase of truing time t, the geometric precision of V-shaped grinding wheel could be improved. The angle of V-shaped grinding wheel could reach 90.15° (deviation 0.02°), the bottom fillet radius was 53 μm (less than 100 μm). The surface roughness and grinding force corresponding to laser truing were less than that of mechanical truing, the truing time required was reduced by 72%∼83%, and the corresponding tooth profile angle and bottom fillet were basically the same.

The Principal Component Analysis as a tool for predicting the mechanical properties of Perovskites and Inverse Perovskites

Cubic perovskites and inverse perovskites have been largely studied in the last years due to their wide interesting physical and chemical properties. However, a little works has been done on their thermal properties, mechanical properties such as strength, stiffness, corrosion resistance. In this work, we would like to demonstrate that perovskites and inverse perovskites could be used to design high-strength ultra-hard coatings materials by fabricating a layered structure of two materials with the same crystal structure. Comparatively to other authors, in our works we have used a multivariate technique based on principal component analysis (PCA) and the partial least square regression (PLS-R). We demonstrate that the score plots allow us to clearly identify the more interesting compounds comparatively one to the other. On the other hand, we have proposed an approach based on the Koehler method in order to predict which perovskites and inverse perovskites have the potential to achieve high hardness and fracture toughness for use as a thermal barrier coating (TBC). We propose 10 among the 129 perovskites and inverse perovskites studied have the potential to be used as thermal barrier coatings. These findings could be used to develop novel multilayer ultra-hard coating materials based on perovskites.

Ultrahard BC5 – An efficient nanoscale heat conductor through dominant contribution of optical phonons

In this work, we study lattice thermal conductivity (k) of BC5, an diamondlike ultra-hard material, using first-principles computations and analyze the effect of both isotopic disorder as well as length scale dependence. k of isotopically pure BC5 is computed to be 169 Wm−1 K−1 (along a-axis) at 300 K; this high k is found to be due to the high frequencies and phonon group velocities of both acoustic and optical phonons owing to the light atomic mass of Carbon (C) and Boron (B) atoms and strong C-C and B-C bonds. We also observe a dominance of optical phonons (∼54%) over acoustic phonons in heat conduction at higher temperatures (∼500 K). This unusually high contribution of optical phonons is found to be due to a unique effect in BC5 related to a weaker temperature dependence of optical phonon scattering rates relative to acoustic phonons. The effect is explained in terms of high frequencies of optical phonons causing decay into other high frequency phonons, where low phonon populations cause the decay term to become insensitive to temperature. The effect further leads to high nanoscale thermal conductivity of 77 Wm−1 K−1 at 100 nm length scale due to optical phonon meanfreepaths being in nanometer regime. These results provide avenues for application of BC5 in nanoscale thermal management.

Biomimetic sapphire windows enabled by inside-out femtosecond laser deep-scribing

Femtosecond laser machining of biomimetic micro/nanostructures with high aspect ratio (larger than 10) on ultrahard materials, such as sapphire, is a challenging task, because the uncontrollable surface damage usually results in poor surface structures, especially for deep scribing. Here, we report an inside-out femtosecond laser deep scribing technology in combination with etching process for fabricating bio-inspired micro/nanostructures with high-aspect-ratio on sapphire. To effectively avoid the uncontrollable damage at the solid/air interface, a sacrificial layer of silicon oxide was employed for surface protection. High-quality microstructures with an aspect ratio as high as 80:1 have been fabricated on sapphire surface. As a proof-of-concept application, we produced a moth-eye inspired antireflective window with sub-wavelength pyramid arrays on sapphire surface, by which broadband (3–5 μm) and high transmittance (98% at 4 μm, the best results reported so far) have been achieved. The sacrificial layer assisted inside-out femtosecond laser deep scribing technology is effective and universal, holding great promise for producing micro/nanostructured optical devices.

Boron Doped Diamond for Real-Time Wireless Cutting Temperature Monitoring of Diamond Coated Carbide Tools.

Among the unique opportunities and developments that are currently being triggered by the fourth industrial revolution, developments in cutting tools have been following the trend of an ever more holistic control of manufacturing processes. Sustainable manufacturing is at the forefront of tools development, encompassing environmental, economic, and technological goals. The integrated use of sensors, data processing, and smart algorithms for fast optimization or real time adjustment of cutting processes can lead to a significant impact on productivity and energy uptake, as well as less usage of cutting fluids. Diamond is the material of choice for machining of non-ferrous alloys, composites, and ultrahard materials. While the extreme hardness, thermal conductivity, and wear resistance of CVD diamond coatings are well-known, these also exhibit highly auspicious sensing properties through doping with boron and other elements. The present study focuses on the thermal response of boron-doped diamond (BDD) coatings. BDD coatings have been shown to have a negative temperature coefficient (NTC). Several approaches have been adopted for monitoring cutting temperature, including thin film thermocouples and infrared thermography. Although these are good solutions, they can be costly and become impractical for certain finishing cutting operations, tool geometries such as rotary tools, as well as during material removal in intricate spaces. In the scope of this study, diamond/WC-Co substrates were coated with BDD by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and the van der Pauw method were used for morphological, structural, and electrical characterization, respectively. The thermal response of the thin diamond thermistors was characterized in the temperature interval of 20–400 °C. Compared to state-of-the-art temperature monitoring solutions, this is a one-step approach that improves the wear properties and heat dissipation of carbide tools while providing real-time and in-situ temperature monitoring.

English

Crystal lattice structure searching by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and first-principles structural optimization have been used to explore polymorphs of BC2N, possessing sp3 hybridization, under a varying applied hydrostatic pressure. Two low Gibbs free energy structures were identified: one with a primitive orthorhombic structure and Space Group, Pmm2, and the other with a primitive tetragonal structure and Space Group, P m2. Dynamical and mechanical stabilities of the Pmm2, orthorhombic BC2N (o-BC2N) structure were established using its phonon dispersions and elastic constants. The bulk modulus of this predicted BC2N phase was 377.15 GPa, which indicates a super-hard compound. The material is brittle with a B/G ratio of 0.911 and a low degree of elastic anisotropy with a Universal Elastic Anisotropy Index of only 0.774%. Calculations of the electronic band structure demonstrated that the material is a direct band gap semiconductor with a band gap of 1.731 eV at zero applied pressure. The band gap increases monotonically with increased applied pressure and saturates to a value of about 1.756 eV above 1500 kbars; the hydrostatic pressure coefficients associated with this process were determined.  Key words: High pressure phase stability, elastic anisotropy, ultra-hard material.

Hardened wood as a renewable alternative to steel and plastic

Hardened wood as a renewable alternative to steel and plastic

Investigation on the ablation behavior of cemented tungsten carbide by a nanosecond UV laser

The precision machining of hard and ultra-hard materials by the laser beam is a key subject in the field of the modern manufacturing process. To improve the surface quality, the ablation threshold of a single pulse and the influence of the laser parameters on the surface characteristics of cemented tungsten carbide (WC-8Co) are firstly quantified and explored, where the material melting, the evaporation and the phase explosion are involved. The results also show that the scanning speed and the scanning times play important roles on the material removal efficiency. In addition, the crack formation seems to be inevitable under various parameters, where surface cracking in a certain direction to the laser scanning direction caused by the temperature gradient is found. The oxidization behavior is investigated by the XPS, the EDS and the Raman spectrum, which indicates that the main oxidation products are identified to be WO3, CoWO4, Co3O4 and CoO.

Chemo-mechanical abrasive flow machining (CM-AFM): A novel high-efficient technique for polishing diamond thin coatings on inner hole surfaces

The abrasive flow machining (AFM) technique is suitable for polishing thin coatings on inner hole or complicated surfaces, but the efficiency for machining ultrahard materials is rather low. In the present research, a novel technology named chemo-mechanical AFM (CM-AFM) is proposed, combining the abrasive flow-mechanical action and chemical (oxidation) reaction. The CM-AFM operational route is determined, based on which an application case for polishing the inner hole surface of the diamond coated wire drawing die is shown. Due to the synergistic mechanism of the chemo-mechanical actions, the CM-AFM indeed presents much higher polishing capability and efficiency than the conventional AFM. Especially for partly-smoothened diamond surfaces the can hardly be further polished by AFM (with a limit of R a value of about 140 nm), the introduction of chemical reaction makes further polishing feasible, and much lower final surface roughness ( R a 45 nm) is achieved. Moreover, influences of the critical factors, i.e., the diamond film type (micro- or nano-sized), the zone and aperture of the inner hole, pressure, combination of the temperature and media type, along with the volume and frequency of oxidizing agent injection, are systematically studied. It is believed that such a technique also has great potentials for polishing similar ultrahard complicated surfaces, especially thin coatings with limited machining allowances and adhesion. • A new polishing method is developed for polishing diamond thin coatings on inner hole surfaces. • The chemical (oxidation) reaction is introduced into the abrasive flow machining. • The synergistic mechanism of chemo-mechanical actions dominates. • The polishing efficiency is significantly enhanced. • Influences of several critical and specific factors are clarified.

Laser Processing of Hard and Ultra-Hard Materials for Micro-Machining and Surface Engineering Applications.

Polycrystalline diamonds, polycrystalline cubic boron nitrides and tungsten carbides are considered difficult to process due to their superior mechanical (hardness, toughness) and wear properties. This paper aims to review the recent progress in the use of lasers to texture hard and ultra-hard materials to a high and reproducible quality. The effect of wavelength, beam type, pulse duration, fluence, and scanning speed is extensively reviewed, and the resulting laser mechanisms, induced damage, surface integrity, and existing challenges discussed. The cutting performance of different textures in real applications is examined, and the key influence of texture size, texture geometry, area ratio, area density, orientation, and solid lubricants is highlighted. Pulsed laser ablation (PLA) is an established method for surface texturing. Defects include melt debris, unwanted allotropic phase transitions, recast layer, porosity, and cracking, leading to non-uniform mechanical properties and surface roughness in fabricated textures. An evaluation of the main laser parameters indicates that shorter pulse durations (ns—fs), fluences greater than the ablation threshold, and optimised multi-pass scanning speeds can deliver sufficient energy to create textures to the required depth and profile with minimal defects. Surface texturing improves the tribological performance of cutting tools in dry conditions, reducing coefficient of friction (COF), cutting forces, wear, machining temperature, and adhesion. It is evident that cutting conditions (feed speed, workpiece material) have a primary role in the performance of textured tools. The identified gaps in laser surface texturing and texture performance are detailed to provide future trends and research directions in the field.