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Article

Polarization-Controlled Femtosecond Laser Texturing Enables Robust Antifouling Stainless Steel Surfaces

by
Eunyeop Ji
1,†,
Daesik Ko
2,3,†,
Chan Hyeon Yang
4,†,
Vassilia Zorba
5,
Jung Hwan Park
4,*,
Kyueui Lee
2,6,7,* and
Minok Park
1,5,*
1
Department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Republic of Korea
2
Department of Chemistry, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
3
Department of Chemistry Education, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
4
Department of Mechanical Engineering (Department of Aeronautics, Mechanical and Electronic Convergence Engineering), Kumoh National Institute of Technology, 61, Daehak-ro, Gumi, Gyeongbuk 39177, Republic of Korea
5
Energy Technologies Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
6
KNU G-LAMP Project Group and KNU Institute of Basic Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
7
Biomedical Research Institute, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41940, Republic of Korea
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Molecules 2026, 31(3), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030480
Submission received: 28 December 2025 / Revised: 21 January 2026 / Accepted: 27 January 2026 / Published: 29 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Functional Coatings and Surface Engineering: Materials, Processes, and Applications)
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Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate precise control over laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on stainless steel (SS) using femtosecond (fs) laser processing to suppress bacterial adhesion. We systematically compare the antifouling behavior of laser-textured surfaces with distinct pattern directionalities—linear and circular. Fs laser irradiation with linear polarization produces directional and anisotropic LIPSS, which progressively evolve into more complex hierarchical surface textures as processing conditions vary. In contrast, fs laser irradiation with circular polarization yields isotropic surface morphologies. Despite these morphological differences, the surface wettability remains nearly constant, with contact angles confined to a narrow range of 32.6–36.9°. Bacterial adhesion tests using Escherichia coli reveal that surfaces patterned with anisotropic features generated by linear polarization—particularly at an incident power of 30 mW—exhibit enhanced antifouling performance compared to isotropic counterparts. These results indicate that antifouling efficacy is governed not only by surface wettability but also by the spatial organization and anisotropy of the LIPSS. This study highlights the critical role of polarization-controlled fs laser processing in tailoring surface architectures and provides a rational strategy for designing bio-resistant metallic surfaces.
Keywords: femtosecond laser processing; antifouling; laser-induced periodic surface structures; contact angles femtosecond laser processing; antifouling; laser-induced periodic surface structures; contact angles

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ji, E.; Ko, D.; Yang, C.H.; Zorba, V.; Park, J.H.; Lee, K.; Park, M. Polarization-Controlled Femtosecond Laser Texturing Enables Robust Antifouling Stainless Steel Surfaces. Molecules 2026, 31, 480. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030480

AMA Style

Ji E, Ko D, Yang CH, Zorba V, Park JH, Lee K, Park M. Polarization-Controlled Femtosecond Laser Texturing Enables Robust Antifouling Stainless Steel Surfaces. Molecules. 2026; 31(3):480. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030480

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ji, Eunyeop, Daesik Ko, Chan Hyeon Yang, Vassilia Zorba, Jung Hwan Park, Kyueui Lee, and Minok Park. 2026. "Polarization-Controlled Femtosecond Laser Texturing Enables Robust Antifouling Stainless Steel Surfaces" Molecules 31, no. 3: 480. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030480

APA Style

Ji, E., Ko, D., Yang, C. H., Zorba, V., Park, J. H., Lee, K., & Park, M. (2026). Polarization-Controlled Femtosecond Laser Texturing Enables Robust Antifouling Stainless Steel Surfaces. Molecules, 31(3), 480. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31030480

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