Formation of Periodic Surface Structures by Multipulse Femtosecond Laser Processing of Au-Coated Ni in Various Fluids

Using multipulse linearly polarized femtosecond laser processing of a Au-coated Ni surface in various liquid media created subwavelength self-organized nanoripples. The thin gold film improved the laser absorptivity, decreasing the ripple generation threshold in liquids. High spatial frequency ripples exhibited lower angular deviation than low spatial frequency ones, but in water the deviation was comparable for both types of ripples. The initiation of nanoripples may precede nanoparticle generation, which is why in hexane several cuboid Au particles were trapped between the ripples. Fast cooling processes freeze ejected molten droplets during the phase explosion and surface reorganization. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction of samples processed in butanol showed a small shift toward smaller angles for the Ni phase, indicating a lattice expansion due to higher tensile stress. Confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy detected surface graphitization and amorphization in areas laser-treated in ethanol, butanol, and hexane, with the highest carbonization observed in butanol. Presumably, femtosecond laser-induced photolysis triggers the formation of graphite nanocrystallites, and consecutive pulses cause amorphization. Static contact angle measurements showed a general tendency toward hydrophobicity with highest contact angles for rippled areas created in butanol.