Nanosecond laser fabrication of superhydrophobic Ti6Al4V surfaces assisted with different liquids

Abstract In this paper, the Ti6Al4V surface was textured in air, water, ethanol and saturated sodium bicarbonate solution respectively using a nanosecond pulse fiber laser, and the surfaces with different degrees of hydrophobicity were obtained. The morphology, chemical compositions and wettability of the surfaces textured in different environments were analyzed. The dynamic characteristic of laser ablation in liquid was also analyzed briefly. It is found that surfaces with different wettability can be obtained by liquid-assisted nanosecond laser etching. Especially in the ethanol environment, the water contact angle and the rolling angle are 154.9° and 9.8°, respectively, which indicates the superhydrophobicity of the textured surface. In addition, the surface textured in saturated sodium bicarbonate solution has strong adhesion to water. Due to the presence of the liquid layer on the surface, the debris and dust generated during the laser texturing process is significantly reduced. Furthermore, these surfaces maintain excellent hydrophobicity after being placed in the atmosphere.