Reflectivity and microrelief transitions in femtosecond laser-induced Grey and Black AISI 321 stainless steel surfaces
10 affiliations
- 1”NoviNano Lab” LLC., 5 Pasternaka Str., 79015, Lviv, Ukraine; Department of Applied Physics and Nanomaterials Science, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12 S. Bandery str., 79013, Lviv, Ukraine; Corresponding author.
- 2NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University, Wszechnicy Piastowskiej 3, 61-614, Poznań, Poland; Institute for Single Crystals, NAS of Ukraine, 60, Nauky ave., 61-072, Kharkiv, Ukraine
- 3National Technical University ''Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute'', 2, Kyrpychova str, 61-002, Kharkiv, Ukraine
- 4NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University, Wszechnicy Piastowskiej 3, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
- 5Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, Hamburg, 22607, Germany
- 6Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Poznań University of Technology, Piotrowo 3, 61-138, Poznań, Poland
- 7Center of Advanced Technologies, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614, Poznań, Poland; Faculty of Materials Science and Technical Physics, Poznań University of Technology, Piotrowo 3, 61-138, Poznań, Poland
- 8Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, 61-614, Poznań, Poland; Department of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 38/42, 60-637, Poznań, Poland
- 9Electron Microscopy Centre, University of Wollongong, Innovation Campus, North Wollongong, 2500, Australia
- 10National Technical University ''Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute'', 2, Kyrpychova str, 61-002, Kharkiv, Ukraine; Department of Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 38/42, 60-637, Poznań, Poland
Abstract
Laser-induced surface microstructuring has emerged as a powerful strategy for tailoring optical properties of metals for applications in energy systems, sensing, and stealth technologies. The present study provides a systematic investigation of femtosecond laser-induced Grey and Black surface states on AISI 321 stainless steel and its covering layers, revealing a previously unresolved transition between oxidation-dominated and topography-enhanced light absorption regimes, and quantitatively decoupling their respective contributions. The applied femtosecond laser irradiation produces two distinct classes of low-reflectivity surface microstructures with markedly different morphologies and optical responses. At lower laser intensities, a Grey surface forms via a Two-Scale Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (TS-LIPSS), where high-frequency classical Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) coexist with incipient microcraters. At higher intensities, a Black surface develops, characterized by a Quasi-Periodic Laser-Induced Deep Surface Structures (QP-LIDSS) composed of densely distributed deep craters. Correlated structural, chemical, and optical analyses reveal different dominant mechanisms of reflectivity reduction. The Grey surface is primarily governed by thin oxide layers (∼20 nm) superimposed on nanoscale texturing, whereas the Black surface combines thicker oxides (∼50 nm) with pronounced crater-assisted light trapping. UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy shows a stepwise reflectivity decrease from 47% (untreated) to 34% (Grey) and 14–16% (Black), supported by grazing-incidence scattering and COMSOL-based modelling. Quantitative analysis of roughness parameters demonstrates that no single descriptor is sufficient to capture the optical behavior. Instead, reflectivity correlates with combined parameter groups - core, amplitude, spatial development, and with the interfacial area ratio emerging as the most sensitive indicator when coupled with spectral and scale-dependent analysis. These results establish a transition from oxidation-driven light suppression to coupled oxidation–topography-controlled effect, offering a scalable route to engineer stainless-steel surfaces via femtosecond laser treatment. The ability to tune the optical response via laser processing offers a scalable route to creating functional surfaces with enhanced optical and electromagnetic performance. Unlike typical studies focusing solely on the final high-roughness dual-scale morphology, this work demonstrates how the transition from oxidation-driven light suppression on sub-wavelength ripples (TS-LIPSS) to geometric trapping on dual-scale structures (QP-LIDSS) can be utilized to precisely tune the optical state of industrial alloys without complex chemical treatment.
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BibTeX
@article{gnilitskyi2026reflectivity,
title = {{Reflectivity and microrelief transitions in femtosecond laser-induced Grey and Black AISI 321 stainless steel surfaces}},
author = {Iaroslav M. Gnilitskyi and Mariya Dobrotvorska and Borys A. Aleksenko and Mikołaj Lewandowski and Yevheniia Basova and Oksana Chukova and Paweł Zawadzki and Igor Iatsunskyi and Marek Nowicki and Rafał Talar and Mikołaj Kościński and Mitchell J.B. Nancarrow and Sergiy Dobrotvorskiy},
journal = {Applied Surface Science Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101050},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101050},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reflectivity and microrelief transitions in femtosecond laser-induced Grey and Black AISI 321 stainless steel surfaces
AU - Iaroslav M. Gnilitskyi
AU - Mariya Dobrotvorska
AU - Borys A. Aleksenko
AU - Mikołaj Lewandowski
AU - Yevheniia Basova
AU - Oksana Chukova
AU - Paweł Zawadzki
AU - Igor Iatsunskyi
AU - Marek Nowicki
AU - Rafał Talar
AU - Mikołaj Kościński
AU - Mitchell J.B. Nancarrow
AU - Sergiy Dobrotvorskiy
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Applied Surface Science Advances
DO - 10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101050
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2026.101050
AB - Laser-induced surface microstructuring has emerged as a powerful strategy for tailoring optical properties of metals for applications in energy systems, sensing, and stealth technologies. The present study provides a systematic investigation of femtosecond laser-induced Grey and Black surface states on AISI 321 stainless steel and its covering layers, revealing a previously unresolved transition between oxidation-dominated and topography-enhanced light absorption regimes, and quantitatively decoupling their respective contributions. The applied femtosecond laser irradiation produces two distinct classes of low-reflectivity surface microstructures with markedly different morphologies and optical responses. At lower laser intensities, a Grey surface forms via a Two-Scale Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (TS-LIPSS), where high-frequency classical Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) coexist with incipient microcraters. At higher intensities, a Black surface develops, characterized by a Quasi-Periodic Laser-Induced Deep Surface Structures (QP-LIDSS) composed of densely distributed deep craters. Correlated structural, chemical, and optical analyses reveal different dominant mechanisms of reflectivity reduction. The Grey surface is primarily governed by thin oxide layers (∼20 nm) superimposed on nanoscale texturing, whereas the Black surface combines thicker oxides (∼50 nm) with pronounced crater-assisted light trapping. UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy shows a stepwise reflectivity decrease from 47% (untreated) to 34% (Grey) and 14–16% (Black), supported by grazing-incidence scattering and COMSOL-based modelling. Quantitative analysis of roughness parameters demonstrates that no single descriptor is sufficient to capture the optical behavior. Instead, reflectivity correlates with combined parameter groups - core, amplitude, spatial development, and with the interfacial area ratio emerging as the most sensitive indicator when coupled with spectral and scale-dependent analysis. These results establish a transition from oxidation-driven light suppression to coupled oxidation–topography-controlled effect, offering a scalable route to engineer stainless-steel surfaces via femtosecond laser treatment. The ability to tune the optical response via laser processing offers a scalable route to creating functional surfaces with enhanced optical and electromagnetic performance. Unlike typical studies focusing solely on the final high-roughness dual-scale morphology, this work demonstrates how the transition from oxidation-driven light suppression on sub-wavelength ripples (TS-LIPSS) to geometric trapping on dual-scale structures (QP-LIDSS) can be utilized to precisely tune the optical state of industrial alloys without complex chemical treatment.
SN - 2666-5239
ER -