Superhydrophobic metallic surfaces functionalized via femtosecond laser surface processing for long term air film retention when submerged in liquid

Femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP) is a powerful technique used to create self-organized microstructures with nanoscale features on metallic surfaces. By combining FLSP surface texturing with surface chemistry changes, either induced by the femtosecond laser during processing or introduced through post processing techniques, the wetting properties of metals can be altered. In this work, FLSP is demonstrated as a technique to create superhydrophobic surfaces on grade 2 titanium and 304 stainless steel that can retain an air film (plastron) between the surface and a surrounding liquid when completely submerged. It is shown that the plastron lifetime when submerged in distilled water or synthetic stomach acid is critically dependent on the specific degree of surface micro- and nano-roughness, which can be tuned by controlling various FLSP parameters. The longest plastron lifetime was on a 304 stainless steel sample that was submerged in distilled water and maintained a plastron for 41 days, the length of time of the study, with no signs of degradation. Also demonstrated for the first time is the precise control of pulse fluence and pulse count to produce three unique classes of surface micron/nano-structuring on titanium.