Nanosecond laser-based high-throughput surface nano-structuring (nhsn) process
AssigneeUniversity of Iowa Research Foundation
InventorsHongtao Ding, Qinghua Wang, Avik Samanta, Ninggang Shen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a surface modified metal piece comprising a first major surface, wherein at least one portion of the first major surface: comprises the reaction product of a surface modifier; has a random micro- and nanoscale structure; and has at least one of a water contact angle when exposed to water of at least about 120° and a spectral reflectance of less than about 25% within the visible spectrum. Other embodiments relate to processes and methods for making such a surface modified metal piece.
Claims22
A surface modified metal piece comprising:
- a first major surface, wherein at least one portion of the first major surface:
- comprises the reaction product of a surface modifier;
- has a random micro- and nanoscale structure;
- and
- has at least one of a water contact angle when exposed to water of at least about 120° and a spectral reflectance of less than about 25% within the visible spectrum.
A surface modified metal piece made by the process comprising:
- immersing a metal piece having a first major surface in an aqueous medium;
- texturing at least a portion of the first major surface along a nanosecond laser scan path at a laser scanning time of at least about 0.25 seconds/in2 to obtain a textured metal piece having a textured surface along the scan path;
- removing the textured metal piece from the aqueous medium;
- and
- immersing the textured metal piece in a solution comprising a surface modifier, wherein the surface modifier reacts with the textured surface to obtain a modified metal surface;
- wherein:
- at least one of the textured surface along the scan path and the textured surface that reacts with the surface modifier has a random micro- and nanoscale structure;
- the nanosecond laser emits pulses of an appropriate energy onto the first major surface along the scan path;
- the nanosecond laser has a laser power intensity of greater than about 0.2 GW/cm2;
- the surface modifier reacts substantially only with the textured surface along the scan path;
- and the textured surface along the scan path that reacts with the surface modifier has at least one of a water contact angle when exposed to water of at least 120° and a spectral reflectance of less than 25% within the visible spectrum.
A method of making a surface modified metal piece, the method comprising:
- immersing a metal piece having a first major surface in an aqueous medium;
- texturing at least a portion of the first major surface along a nanosecond laser scan path at a laser scanning time of at least about 0.25 seconds/in2 to obtain a textured metal piece having a textured surface along the scan path;
- removing the textured metal piece from the aqueous medium;
- and
- immersing the textured metal piece in a solution comprising a surface modifier, wherein the surface modifier reacts with the textured surface to obtain a modified metal surface;
- wherein:
- at least one of the textured surface along the scan path and the textured surface that reacts with the surface modifier has a random micro- and nanoscale structure;
- the nanosecond laser emits pulses of an appropriate energy onto the first major surface along the scan path;
- the nanosecond laser has a laser power intensity of greater than about 0.2 GW/cm2;
- the surface modifier reacts substantially only with the textured surface along the scan path;
- and the textured surface along the scan path that reacts with the surface modifier has at least one of a water contact angle when exposed to water of at least 120° and a spectral reflectance of less than 25% within the visible spectrum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.