Preparation and Tribological Properties of a Superhydrophobic TB6 Titanium Alloy

Superhydrophobic surfaces of conventional Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) titanium alloys facilitate drag reduction and anti-wear. However, the economical fabrication of a wear-resistant superhydrophobic Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al (TB6) titanium alloy for application in modern aerospace equipment remains to be achieved. Here, an efficient wear-resistant superhydrophobic TB6 titanium alloy surface using commercially available materials and processing equipment was fabricated through nanosecond laser texturing and facile chemical modification. The wettability of textured surfaces, including line and grid patterns, ablated at different laser scanning intervals were investigated and analyzed in terms of surface morphology and chemical composition. Moreover, the mechanisms of coefficient of friction changes on different surfaces under dry and water sliding conditions were studied based on surface morphology and wettability. Under dry sliding and water lubrication conditions, the average coefficient of friction of the prepared superhydrophobic surface can be reduced by 29% and 74%, respectively, compared with that of the original hydrophilic surface.