Self-cleaning anti-fog micro-nanostructures by laser marker patterning nickel-coated glass

To minimise potential damage and crack on glass induced by direct laser patterning, this study employed a cost-effective laser marker for the rapid ablation of nickel (Ni)-coated glass substrates to fabricate super-hydrophilic micro-nanostructures. Most of laser energy was consumed by ablating Ni film with minimal deposited on glass, leading to shallow micron structure to support the nanostructure. The investigation systematically explored the influence of Ni thickness and laser scan hatch distance on the resultant properties of the treated glass by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), confocal microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), gonoimeter, spectrophotometer and real-time assessments of anti-fogging and self-cleaning performance. The treated glass surface exhibited a hierarchical micro-nanostructure featuring a quasi-periodical hillock-hollow micron structure and widely distributed nanoparticles. This unique surface structure yielded an exceptionally low contact angle of 0°, exhibiting remarkable self-cleaning and antifogging capabilities that persisted for over 9 months without apparent degradation. Such durable exceptional self-cleaning and anti-fog performance was rarely been reported in the literature and was attributed to the stable micro-nanostructure and robust chemical bondings present on the surface, showcasing significant potential for widespread commercial applications.