Enhancing material performance through laser surface texturing: a review

Materials with well-defined surface structures are prepared using protective coatings through surface texturing, which is a novel method for modifying surface characteristics, particularly tribological and wettability, to improve the properties of material parts. The formation of a specific patterned surface can be achieved through abrasive blasting, reactive-ion etching, lithography and mechanical machining. This review focuses on laser technology because it generates the most controllable and precise geometries. This technique is environmentally friendly because it does not utilise any chemical reagent, nor does it produce significant waste.