Results on the manipulation of the wetting properties of stainless steel alloy surface by ultrashort pulse laser texturing are presented. The wide range of water droplet contact angles from highly-hydrophilic to super-hydrophobic was achieved by generation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) and nanospikes. In particular, the wetting state was controlled by accumulated laser fluence, which determines the carbon/oxygen content and nano-texture type of the surface after laser treatment. A super-hydrophobic water-repelling surface was generated. The simple, single-step laser processing technology was demonstrated as a promising tool for the large-scale industrial production of self-cleaning stainless steel.
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