Femtosecond Laser Micromachining for Controlling Surface Wettability

The use of femtosecond laser to modify the surface of polymeric materials has received great attention in the last decade, due to the possibilities of tailoring the material's properties yielding technological applications. Here, we report on the microfabrication of an azopolymer by using femtosecond laser pulses, aiming at the control of surface wettability. By properly patterning the polymeric surface structure we were able to increase the surface hydrophilicity, decreasing the water contact angle in about 20 degrees.