Towards Rapid Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces by Multi-Beam Nanostructuring with 40,401 Beams

A team of our researchers together with scientists from the HOLO/OR company have discovered a method to efficiently nanostructure a large area using just a few laser pulses. Successful results of the experiment also produced a new record in multibeam laser nanostructuring, with respect to the number of laser beams simultaneously modifying the material surface.

Scientists introduced a unique combination of high-energy pulsed ultrashort laser system delivering up to 20 mJ at 1030 nm in 1.7 ps and novel Diffractive Laser-Induced Texturing element (DLITe) capable of producing 201 × 201 sub-beams of 5 µm in diameter on a square area of 1 mm².

Simultaneous nanostructuring with 40,401 sub-beams resulted in a matrix of microcraters covered by nanogratings and ripples with periodicity below 470 nm and 720 nm, respectively. The processed area demonstrated hydrophobic to superhydrophobic properties with a maximum contact angle of 153◦.

This achievement enables, for the first time, the industrial adaption of laser nanostructuring as an innovative method for rapid and economical production of superhydrophobic surfaces on a larger scale.

Do you want to learn more? You can find the whole paper published in the MDPI journal Nanomaterials.

Read the Press Release.