Femtosecond laser direct weaving bioinspired superhydrophobic/hydrophilic micro-pattern for fog harvesting

In this paper, we directly built hybrid superhydrophobic/hydrophilic micro-patterns on Ti surfaces via femtosecond laser microfabrication. After dark storage, superhydrophobic TiO2 micro/nanostructures were formed on laser-scanned areas while un-scanned areas remained intrinsic hydrophilicity. The as-prepared Ti surface enhanced the water-collection efficiency by nearly 100% compared to the untreated one. Furthermore, the femtosecond laser direct weaved micro-pattern exhibited a fast processing speed and the whole process did not need any chemical modification. Our study provides a novel strategy to ameliorate the water shortage in the future.

Automated summary

The paper described a method of directly constructing hybrid superhydrophobic/hydrophilic micro-patterns on Ti surfaces using femtosecond laser microfabrication, which significantly improved the water-collection efficiency of the Ti surface, with fast processing speed and no need for chemical modification. It provides a novel strategy for ameliorating water shortage in the future.