Laser surface engineering of polymeric materials and the effects on wettability characteristics

Wettability characteristics are believed by many to be the driving force in applications relating to adhesion. So, gaining an in-depth understanding of the wettability characteristics of materials before and after surface treatments is crucial in developing materials with enhanced adhesion properties. This chapter details some of the main competing techniques to laser surface engineering followed by a review of current cutting edge laser surface engineering techniques which are used for wettability and adhesion modulation. A study is provided in detail for laser surface treatment (using IR and UV lasers) of polymeric materials. Sessile drop analysis was used to determine the wettability characteristics of each laser surface treated sample and as-received sample, revealing the presence of a mixed-state wetting regime on some samples. Although this outcome does not follow current and accepted wetting theory, through numerical analysis, generic equations to predict this mixed state wetting regime and the corresponding contact angle are discussed