Hybrid Wetting Surfaces with Different Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Alternating Patterns for Improving Tribological Properties

To enhance the applicability of water‐based lubricants, hybrid wetting surfaces composed of hydrophilic bionic microtextures and superhydrophobic sandwich‐like coatings are successfully fabricated through a combination of laser processing and the electrospray mask deposition method. The effect of geometrical parameters of hybrid wetting patterns on the wetting behavior and tribological performance is systematically investigated, and the corresponding lubrication mechanism is elucidated. Results show that the uniform wetting sample HB demonstrated superhydrophobicity with the highest contact angle (CA) (166.9°) and small sliding angle (4°), while sample HL is hydrophilic with the lowest CA of 62.8°. The hybrid wetting surface with an optimized hydrophilic/hydrophobic pattern can regulate the spreading behavior of water‐based lubricants and improve tribological performance. In sample HY‐3, both deionized water and polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG‐600) maintained hydrophobicity with CAs of 127.7° and 97.1°, and their spreading areas increased by 23.8% and 18.0% compared to the uniformly hydrophobic surface. Meanwhile, the friction coefficient of sample HY‐3 under water lubrication and under lubrication is reduced to 36.48% and 44.26%, respectively, compared to the hydrophilic sample HL. This may be attributed to its effective synergy between lubricant retention and hydrostatic lift.