Enormously Low Frictional Surface on Tough Hydrogels Simply Created by Laser-Cutting Process

Abstract

We measured the friction forces and calculated the friction coefficients of non-processed and laser-processed surfaces of a double network hydrogel (DN gel), which is one of the more famous high-strength gels. The results indicate that laser processing has the ability to reduce the friction coefficients of the gel surfaces. The observation of gel surfaces suggests that the cause of friction reduction is a change in the roughness of the gel surfaces due to laser processing. This finding is expected to lead us to further understanding of the physicochemical properties of hydrogels.