Month: August 2017

Summer School on Advanced Laser Processing 2017

Participants in the 2nd Laser4Fun Summer school
Participants in the 2nd Laser4Fun Summer school

In total 22 persons attended and contributed to the 1st international Summer School & 2nd Laser4Fun Summer School on Advanced Laser Processing. From August 21st to 25th, the participants were “fully-immersed” into the world of advanced laser materials processing. Lectures and presentations by academic experts, specialists from industry, as well as of the participants alternated, with ample time for discussions. The summer school also included practical exercises and workshops in state-of-the-art laser-laboratories.

Topics included, but were not limited to:

  • Fundamentals of laser-material interaction
  • Pulsed laser surface ablation
  • Pulsed laser processing of bulk materials
  • Laser-induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS)
  • Micro/nano structuring
  • New trends in laser processing
  • Laser cladding
  • Laser-induced Forward Transfer (LIFT)
  • Applications of laser processing
  • Training on generic research relevant skills

The Summer School was organised and hosted by the Chair of Laser Processing at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Influence of ambient conditions on the evolution of wettability properties of an IR-, ns-laser textured aluminium alloy

Results of the work in the Laser4Fun project has been published as:

J. T. Cardoso, A. Garcia-Girón, J. M. Romano, D. Huerta-Murillo, R. Jagdheesh, M. Walker, S. S. Dimov and J. L. Ocaña Influence of ambient conditions on the evolution of wettability properties of an IR-, ns-laser textured aluminium alloy. RSC Advances, 63, 2017

Abstract

Micro cell structures of different sizes were patterned using a nanosecond near-infrared laser source on Al2024 aluminium alloy plates with 2 mm thickness. The influence of laser parameters on the shape and size of the produced patterns were studied together with the evolution of wettability properties over time for different storage conditions. Samples were found to be superhydrophobic from a single step laser patterning, requiring no further treatment. Exposure to ambient air was shown to be a key factor in the property changes of the samples over time. The produced surface patterns with different laser parameter settings were correlated with the contact angle measurements, revealing a great influence of the amount of recast material on the hydrophobic properties. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the impact of surface chemistry changes on hydrophobicity, analysis of elemental composition proved that chemisorbed organic molecules present in the ambient air were responsible for the hydrophilic to superhydrophobic transition.

Link(s)