Femtosecond laser fabrication of robust underwater superoleophobic and anti-oil surface on sapphire

Due to the presence of unique micro/nanostructures on the surface, fish’s scale exhibits underwater superoleophobicity and keeps clean even in oil-polluted water. Inspired from this, we propose a facile method for the fabrication of underwater superoleophobic and anti-oil sapphire surface with line-patterned nanostructures by femtosecond laser. The as-prepared surface shows great superoleophobicity that the oil contact angles can reach up to 153° for 1, 2-dichloroethane droplets in water and low oil-adhesion. At the same time, the relationship between the microgrooves’ period and surface wettability is studied, and the results indicate that the underwater superoleophobicity and low oil-adhesion can be achieved using a wide range of processing parameters. Meanwhile, the obtained surface is demonstrated to exhibit excellent stability. Moreover, the self-cleaning anti-oil ability of the as-prepared surface is conducted, and the potential mechanism of which is discussed. This technique has potential applications for the fabrication of underwater oil repelling devices and microfluidics.