The Design and Analysis of the Fabrication of Micro- and Nanoscale Surface Structures and Their Performance Applications from a Bionic Perspective

Abstract

This paper comprehensively discusses the fabrication of bionic-based ultrafast laser micro-nano-multiscale surface structures and their performance analysis. It explores the functionality of biological surface structures and the high adaptability achieved through optimized self-organized biomaterials with multilayered structures. This study details the applications of ultrafast laser technology in biomimetic designs, particularly in preparing high-precision, wear-resistant, hydrophobic, and antireflective micro- and nanostructures on metal surfaces. Advances in the fabrications of laser surface structures are analyzed, comparing top-down and bottom-up processing methods and femtosecond laser direct writing. This research investigates selective absorption properties of surface structures at different scales for various light wavelengths, achieving coloring or stealth effects. Applications in dirt-resistant, self-cleaning, biomimetic optical, friction-resistant, and biocompatible surfaces are presented, demonstrating potential in biomedical care, water-vapor harvesting, and droplet manipulation. This paper concludes by highlighting research frontiers, theoretical and technological challenges, and the high-precision capabilities of femtosecond laser technology in related fields.

Keywords: bionics; laser surface manufacturing technology; micro- and nanoscale surface structures; surface property analysis; ultrafast laser.

Figure 1

Organisms with specialized functional surfaces and their microstructures [23]. Reproduced with permission from Dong Wu. Bioinspired micro-/nanostructured surfaces prepared by femtosecond laser direct writing for multi-functional applications; published by IOP Publishing Ltd., 2020.

Figure 2

SEM images of three LIPSS structures produced under different laser irradiation conditions, distinguished fundamentally by the laser fluence and pulse number Neff_2D (parameters given in the text). (A) ripples with a periodicity Λy = 850 nm, (B) grooves, Λy = 840 nm, Λx = 2.6 μm, and (C) spikes. (D) Highly irregular (“damaged”) morphology (optical micrograph) obtained at high fluence and Neff_2D values. (E) Schematic distribution of the different structures found with one single scan, depending on the laser fluence and the effective number of pulses in an area (Neff_2D). The positions on this plot for the structures shown in (A–D) are represented accordingly. The scanning direction and laser polarization for all the images shown are included in (A) [42]. Reproduced with permission from Jan Siegel. Biomimetic surface structures in steel fabricated with femtosecond laser pulses: influence of laser rescanning on morphology and wettability; published by Beilstein-Institut, 2018.

Figure 3

(a) Measured contact-angle values as a function of laser energy density. (b) Contact-angle values obtained from measurements of different surface roughness values at the same energy injection [55].

Figure 4

Characterization of VSMCs and HUVECs. (a) AFM image of the morphology of VSMCs (The dashed lines 1-1’ and 2-2’ serve as size reference scales.); (b) line contours of individual lines in (a); (c) diameters of the fiber structures (The blue dashed line indicates the peak diameters of the two fiber structures.); (d) height distribution of the cell surface; (e) AFM image of the morphology of HUVECs(The dashed line serves as a size reference scale.); (f) line contours of the white dashed lines in (e). [61] Reproduced with permission from Chunyong Liang, Biomimetic cardiovascular stents for in vivo re-endothelialization; published by Elsevier Ltd., 2016.

Figure 5

The application of the motion detection of TPSs for recognizing gestures and gaits [70]. Reproduced with permission from Saihua Jiang. Facile monitoring of human motions on a fireground by using an MiEs-TENG sensor; published by Elsevier Ltd., 2021.