Near-unity broadband omnidirectional emissivity via femtosecond laser surface processing

Authors

Andrew Reicks, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Alfred Tsubaki, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mark Anderson, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Jace Wieseler, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Larousse Khosravi Khorashad, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jeffrey E. Shield, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
George Gogos, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Dennis Alexander, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Christos Argyropoulos, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Craig Zuhlke, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Andrew Reicks

Christos Argyropoulos

Craig Zuhlke

Date of this Version

2021

Citation

https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-021-00139-w

Comments

CC-BY

Abstract

It is very challenging to achieve near perfect absorption or emission that is both broadband and omnidirectional while utilizing a scalable fabrication process. Femtosecond laser surface processing is an emerging low-cost and large-scale manufacturing technique used to directly and permanently modify the surface properties of a material. The versatility of this technique to produce tailored surface properties has resulted in a rapidly growing number of applications. Here, we demonstrate near perfect, broadband, omnidirectional emissivity from aluminum surfaces by tuning the laser surface processing parameters including fluence, pulse count, and the ambient gas. Full-wave simulations and experimental results prove that the obtained increase in emissivity is mainly a result of two distinct features produced by femtosecond laser surface processing: the introduction of microscale surface features and the thick oxide layer. This technique leads to functionalized metallic surfaces that are ideal for emerging applications, such as passive radiative cooling and thermal management of spacecraft.