Induced hydrophobicity in micro-and nanostructured nickel thin films obtained by ultraviolet pulsed laser treatment

摘要

Abstractauthoren Nickel thin films were deposited on Ti6Al4V and surface treated with nanosecond pulse ultraviolet laser in ambient conditions using a fluence of 3.68 J cm−2. A twofold to threefold increase in contact angle was observed for water, ethylene glycol, and diiodomethane following laser treatment, with recorded contact angles for water in excess of 130°. No additional treatment was used to hydrophobize the surface. Three different micro- and nanometric levels of roughness were generated on the thin film surface, which can be related to the rastering parameters of the laser and to the increase in apparent contact angle. Melt droplets were identified as a main contribution to the nanometric roughness level, indicating that melting and melt ejection play an important role in surface nanostructuring.Micro- and nanopatterning obtained after UV laser treatment of nickel thin films, highlighting the different scales of the generated features.