EMIL - Research project

 

This project was focused on numerically modeling the wettability of femtosecond laser-treated and textured surfaces, with the main objective to get a better understanding of the droplet spreading mechanisms and dynamics. It aims to explore the effects of surface relief, defect formation, and oxidation on ultra-short laser-treated surfaces wettability functions.
Simulations were carried out at macro- and atomistic scales using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. They revealed how surface relief parameters and droplet impact velocity influence Titanium (Ti) and Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) wettability. CFD shows that multi-period relief was found promising for effective wettability control. MD simulations provide insights into molecular-level wettability mechanisms.
Simulations of ultrashort laser pulse interactions with Ti targets demonstrated material melting, ablation, and structural transitions affecting wettability and oxidation processes. These findings advance our understanding of surface wettability and the mechanisms behind its changes induced by modern ultra-short laser systems.