Multi-scale laser surface texturing for low ice-friction contacts - M-LUGE

Project summary

Sliding on ice is primarily controlled by the micro topography at the metal-ice interface. This opens the door to design surfaces of different shapes, allowing to control ice-friction performance of functional parts and real-life products. Three universities from Germany and Latvia have teamed up with two application partners to develop a flexible and environmentally friendly laser texturing method for surface functionalization. Laser texturing at three length scales from 200 nm to 100 μm is applied for reliable and long-stable multi-scale features. The goal of laser texturing is to provide low ice-friction and anti-icing functionality on large areas. This is demonstrated by the functional testing of laser textured skeleton runners and slurry-ice evaporators, supporting the European Green Deal by clean energy generation. The range of three laser texturing methods offers unmatched patterning capability and speed for hierarchical topography designs for innovations in surface engineering.