Fabrication of metallic surfaces with long-term superhydrophilic property using one-stop laser method

• One-stop laser method is presented to fabricate superhydrophilic surface on metals.
• Wettability study shows the longest superhydrophilic duration as more than 1 month.
• Water-soluble compounds, polar functional groups and dual-scale structures were formed.
• Surface roughness shows an amplification effect of the wetting behavior.

A simple method for fabricating stable superhydrophilic surface at metallic substrates is reported. This technique comprises irradiating the surface with multiple laser pulses. Surface wettability can be taylored through controlling laser parameters and processing conditions. The substrates were selected as aluminum alloy and stainless steel. Physical morphology and chemical composition of laser-textured surfaces were characterized by SEM, XPS, and 3D profiler measurements. Results showed that the longest wettability duration was achieved as more than 1 month for stainless steel and more than 200 h for Al alloy, respectively. The possible mechanism of hydrophilic behavior of laser-textured surfaces was discussed. The effect of surface topography on superhydrophilicity property was also evaluated. This study presents a promising method in fabricating long-term superhydrophilic surfaces, which is useful for improving adhesion or achieving water-assisted flow in industrial applications as well as developing cell-based technologies in biomedical applications.

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