LI Linxiang, HUANG Yanfei, XING Zhiguo, LI Zhixiong, WANG Haidou
Ultrafast laser texturing is a new surface processing method that uses ultrashort pulse laser technologies such as picosecond and femtosecond lasers to prepare finer texture structures based on reducing heat source damage on the surface of materials. With the development and application of bionics, the surface structure features of animals and plants have been gradually applied to the surface of materials, and surface properties such as wear resistance, anticorrosion, defrosting, antireflection, and antifouling have been obtained. However, biomimetic textures are processed by long pulse lasers. The surface is significantly affected by heat, and the texture size cannot be refined. Therefore, ultrafast laser preparation of biomimetic textures has been adopted because it can realize refined design and processing of textures and greatly improve the reproduction accuracy of biomimetic textures. Moreover, it enhances the mechanical properties of the material surface and provides better surface quality. At present, biomimetic targets for the preparation of biomimetic textures using ultrafast lasers are gradually expanding from shark skins and lotus leaves to carapaces, moth eyes, feathers, and other biological structures with surface properties. The main texture types are micro-nano composites, array geometries, and random textures. Using ultrafast lasers, a series of biomimetic texture performance studies and optimizations have been performed to explore the ablation mechanisms of different materials. In this paper, the research progress of ultrafast laser biomimetic texture is reviewed in terms of the three properties of wear resistance, wetting, and antireflection, and the processing principle of ultrafast lasers is introduced. Ultrafast lasers enable energy deposition to occur at a solid density and ultrashort pulse width, change the interaction mechanism between the laser and matter, and effectively reduce thermal effects. The ablation thresholds of different materials are summarized in this paper. Through the study of biomimetic textures such as the composite micro-convex structure of lotus leaves, accompanying wave and convex structure of insects, and ridged-scale structure on the surface of reptiles and shark skin, it was found that the density of the texture surface and direction of friction convergence are important factors affecting the frictional behavior of textures. By controlling the texture parameters, ultrafast laser biomimetic textures can reduce the friction coefficient of most metals by 20–40%. Through superhydrophobic structures such as bionic rose petals and mosquito compound eyes, the contact angle of the material surface can reach a superhydrophobic state of more than 150° hich effectively improves the anticorrosion, microchannel, and antifrost performance. In general, micropillar arrays with small diameters, dense spacings, and large depths exhibit better hydrophobic effects. However, the influence of the laser on the material surface increases its chemical polarity, leading to hydrophilicity. However, with the adsorption of carbon atoms and organic matter, the nonpolar bonds on the material surface increase, resulting in a decrease in the free energy of the material surface and causing the occurrence of the wettability transition phenomenon. Therefore, the wettability of a laser-machined surface can be changed by controlling the free energy of the material surface. Femtosecond lasers can be used to fabricate micro- to nanostructures on silicon thin films, improving their light-harvesting capabilities. Changing the laser processing medium can further increase the texture density and significantly reduce the reflectivity. Additionally, other elements can be doped into the material surface under the action of pulsed radiation, thereby further improving the antireflection performance of materials. In summary, the technology of biomimetic texture preparation using ultrafast lasers is gradually being applied in many fields such as machinery, medical treatment, aviation, and infrared detection. Using ultrafast lasers to fabricate biomimetic textures to realize and optimize various functional surfaces has become a current research hotspot. Finally, this paper summarizes the basic principles of ultrafast laser processing and comprehensively discusses the sources of biomimetic designs for three types of textures, including wear resistance, wetting, and antireflection, as well as the design and processing methods of the parameters for the three types of textures in different application environments. The action mechanism and principle of ultrafast laser biomimetic texture are analyzed. Furthermore, the ultrafast laser processing of biomimetic texture is comprehensively described and the development direction of ultrafast laser biomimetic texture preparation is provided.