Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing

Zheng, Liansheng; Wang, Shuo; Cong, Yingbo; Wang, Chenxing; Li, Haowen; Jiang, Hongyin; Li, Helong; Zang, Hongwei; Xu, Huailiang

doi:10.3390/nano16010037

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.

Open AccessArticle

Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing

by

Liansheng Zheng

^1,†,

Shuo Wang

^1,†,

Yingbo Cong

^2,†,

Chenxing Wang

¹,

Haowen Li

¹,

Hongyin Jiang

¹,

Helong Li

³,

Hongwei Zang

^1,* and

Huailiang Xu

^1,4,*

¹

State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China

²

School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China

³

Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China

⁴

School of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Nanomaterials 2026, 16(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16010037

Submission received: 24 November 2025 / Revised: 21 December 2025 / Accepted: 23 December 2025 / Published: 25 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Femtosecond Laser Fabrication of Micro/Nanostructures and Applications (Second Edition))

Download Versions Notes

Abstract

Functional steel surfaces engineered through tailored micro-nano structures are increasingly vital for various applications such as high-performance aerospace components, energy conversion systems and defense equipment. Femtosecond laser filament processing is a recently proposed remote fabrication technique, showing the capability of fabricating micro-nano structures on irregular and large-area surfaces without the need of tight focusing. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the formation of filament-induced structures remain not fully understood. Here we systematically investigate the formation mechanisms of filament-induced micro-nano structures on stainless steel surfaces by processing stainless steel in three manners: point, line, and area. We clarify the decisive role of the unique core–reservoir energy distribution of the filament in the formation of filament-induced micro-nano structures, and reveal that ablation, molten metal flow, and metal vapor condensation jointly drive the structure evolution through a dynamic interplay of competition and coupling, giving rise to the sequential morphological transitions of surface structures, from laser-induced periodic surface structures to ripple-like, crater-like, honeycomb-like, and ultimately taro-leaf-like structures. Our work not only clarifies the mechanisms of femtosecond laser filament processed morphological structures on steels but also provides insights onto intelligent manufacturing and design of advanced functional steel materials.

Keywords: femtosecond laser filamentation; laser fabrication; stainless steel; micro/nanostructures; preferential valley ablation; marangoni effect

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zheng, L.; Wang, S.; Cong, Y.; Wang, C.; Li, H.; Jiang, H.; Li, H.; Zang, H.; Xu, H. Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing. Nanomaterials 2026, 16, 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16010037

AMA Style

Zheng L, Wang S, Cong Y, Wang C, Li H, Jiang H, Li H, Zang H, Xu H. Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing. Nanomaterials. 2026; 16(1):37. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16010037

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zheng, Liansheng, Shuo Wang, Yingbo Cong, Chenxing Wang, Haowen Li, Hongyin Jiang, Helong Li, Hongwei Zang, and Huailiang Xu. 2026. "Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing" Nanomaterials 16, no. 1: 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16010037

APA Style

Zheng, L., Wang, S., Cong, Y., Wang, C., Li, H., Jiang, H., Li, H., Zang, H., & Xu, H. (2026). Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing. Nanomaterials, 16(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16010037

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Formation Mechanisms of Micro-Nano Structures on Steels by Strong-Field Femtosecond Laser Filament Processing

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI