Long-Time Persisting Superhydrophilicity on Sapphire Surface via Femtosecond Laser Processing with the Varnish of TiO2

Abstract

The acquiring of superhydrophilic surfaces attracts the strong interest in self-cleaning, anti-fogging and anti-icing fields based on the unique features. However, the persistent time of superhydrophilic surfaces is still facing a big challenge because of easily adsorbing hydrophobic groups. Here, we propose a strategy to achieve a superhydrophilicity persisting for an unprecedently long time on sapphire surfaces, by compounding the femtosecond laser-induced hierarchical structures and the subsequent varnish of TiO2. The superhydrophilic effect (with a contact angle of CA = 0°) created by our method can be well prolonged to at least 180 days, even for its storage in air without additional illumination of UV lights. Based on comprehensive investigations, we attribute the underlying mechanisms to the coordination of laser-induced metal ions on the material surface via TiO2 doping, which not only prevents the adsorption of the nonpolar hydrocarbon groups, but also modulates the photo-response properties of TiO2. In addition, further experiments demonstrate the excellent anti-fogging properties of our prepared samples. This investigation provides a new perspective for further enhancing the durability of superhydrophilicity surfaces.