title: Large-area one-step assembly of three-dimensional porous metal micro/nanocages by ethanol-assisted femtosecond laser irradiation for enhanced antireflection and hydrophobicity.
abstract: The capability to realize 2D-3D controllable metallic micro/nanostructures is of key importance for various fields such as plasmonics, electronics, bioscience, and chemistry due to unique properties such as electromagnetic field enhancement, catalysis, photoemission, and conductivity. However, most of the present techniques are limited to low-dimension (1D-2D), small area, or single function. Here we report the assembly of self-organized three-dimensional (3D) porous metal micro/nanocages arrays on nickel surface by ethanol-assisted femtosecond laser irradiation. The underlying formation mechanism was investigated by a series of femtosecond laser irradiation under exposure time from 5 to 30 ms. We also demonstrate the ability to control the size of micro/nanocage arrays from 0.8 to 2 μm by different laser pulse energy. This method features rapidness (∼10 min), simplicity (one-step process), and ease of large-area (4 cm(2) or more) fabrication. The 3D cagelike micro/nanostructures exhibit not only improved antireflection from 80% to 7% but also enhanced hydrophobicity from 98.5° to 142° without surface modification. This simple technique for 3D large-area controllable metal microstructures will find great potential applications in optoelectronics, physics, and chemistry.
authors.affiliation: Micro/Nano Engineering Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Guoqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiawen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chenchu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yanlei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiaru
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Wenhao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007834:Lasers; D008422:Materials Testing; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000379:methods; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D000431:Ethanol; D009532:Nickel
keywords: antireflection; femtosecond laser 3D processing; large-area; porous metal micro/nanocages arrays; surface wettability