Role of roughness levels induced by the laser texturing on the wettability behaviour of ABS

Abstract The development of patterned surfaces to induce different wettability behavior on industrial components has recently gained attention due to their potential applications, for example anti-icing, anticondensation and superoleophobicity, among others. However, limited semi empirical studies have been reported on the study of a general predictive formula that considers all possible wetting states of a droplet. This study is focused on validating a theoretical expression as a predictive tool for future wettability modification based solely on the surface topography variation using experimental data. Understanding the effects of surface modifications, produced by direct ultrashort laser texturing on the wettability properties of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is wanted. The present study is a preliminary work that will be as an introduction for future studies regarding the wettability modification of different thermoplastics.