On the Corrosion Properties of Aluminum 2024 Laser‐Textured Surfaces with Superhydrophilic and Superhydrophobic Wettability States

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

In this work, the mechanism of the corrosion behavior of laser-treated aluminum is studied. Two different laser techniques are used to fabricate the samples, direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) and direct laser writing (DLW), using nanosecond laser sources. The DLIP treatment uses a two-beam optical configuration producing line-like periodic structures. The DLW technique is employed to produce non-periodic structures on the Al-surface with the same cumulated fluences as in DLIP. The surface topography is analyzed by confocal microscopy, and the formation of oxide layers is investigated by scanning electron microscopy of cross-sections produced using a focused ion beam. Wetting measurements performed on the laser-treated samples exhibit a contrasting behavior, leading to either superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic states. In the case of the DLIP treatment, the static water contact angle is increased from 81° up to 158°, while for DLW, it decreases to 3°. Electrochemical tests demonstrate a decreased corrosion rate after laser treatment. Additionally, findings indicate no correlation between wettability and corrosion reduction. Therefore, the improvement in corrosion resistance is mainly attributed to the oxide layer formed by laser treatment. Although similar corrosion rates are achieved for both treatments, surfaces produced with DLIP can be beneficial when additional surface properties are required.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2300607
Pages (from-to)1-14
Number of pages14
JournalAdvanced materials interfaces
Volume10
Issue number36
Early online date22 Sept 2023
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85171687625
Mendeley 26da9b6d-5642-3cbc-8f9f-fb1fc7e191b7
ORCID /0000-0002-8740-8310/work/170542559
WOS 001068116000001

Keywords

Keywords

  • superhydrophobicity, nanosecond pulsed laser, superhydrophilicity aluminum 2024, laser treatment, corrosion resistance