A universal laser marking approach for treating aluminum alloy surfaces with enhanced anticorrosion, hardness and reduced friction

Lined and grating grooves have been fabricated on a large scale engineering Al alloy plate via a simple, convenient, efficient, and low cost laser marking method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize and analyze the microstructure and composition of the as-prepared samples. The results demonstrate that regular and tailored roughness structures were successfully constructed on the surface. In addition, the roughness of the structures could be easily modulated. Furthermore, the corrosion resistances to seawater and tribological properties have been investigated. The corrosion resistance, hardness and friction resistance of Al alloy surfaces treated by the laser marking approach were remarkably enhanced, which presents a great opportunity for applications in the field of engineering.