The influence of submillimeter morphological variations on the wettability of WEDM-fabricated dual-scale roughness aluminum alloy 6082 surfaces

Abstract Deriving inspiration from natural hierarchical superhydrophobic surfaces, multi-scale structures were manufactured on AA6082 surfaces via wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM), featuring microscale texture due to spark erosion, superimposed upon a wide-range simple and more complicated geometries of submillimeter profiles. The effect that the higher-order scale morphologies had on wettability was investigated. The dual-scale morphology elevated the hydrophobicity of the surfaces compared to single-scale or unmodified surfaces, reaching superhydrophobicity (151°) in the case of a certain triangular profile. Rectangular and triangular profiles facilitated the higher contact angles, while re-entrant geometries were able to totally prevent cavity wetting. A correlation of static contact angle with roughness parameters of the larger scale such as Ra, Rz, Rp, Rsk, and Rku for certain geometry configurations was identified. Peak hydrophobicity resulted at Ra = 70 μm, Rz = 240 μm, and Rp = 160 μm concerning simple geometries. Negative Rsk and Rku > 1.5 affected negatively contact angle of samples. All investigated tested types were found to reach higher hydrophobicity at moderate drop volumes (5 μl). The fabricated samples were anisotropic in at least two directions, showing decreased hydrophobicity in the front, parallel to the groove direction. When tested in multi-directional dynamic tilting up to 90°, the more complicated geometries were able to retain resistance to spreading. All samples demonstrated superliquiphilicity with lower surface tension liquids, making them strong candidate in applications such as oil/water separation. Finally, all samples tested sustained their hydrophobic character subsequent to a 3-month atmospheric exposure period.