Accumulated radicals by GHz femtosecond burst drive one-step superhydrophobic conversion.

A methylphenyl silicone resin/graphene/CuFe2O4/SiO2 composite coating shows a threshold-like wettability shift near 430 subpulses under GHz femtosecond bursts.

• Why it matters: Short-lived radicals typically decay before they can sustain long-range reactions, limiting laser-driven radical chain chemistry.
• What they did: The study temporally coupled excitation using GHz femtosecond bursts and compared it with a microsecond-spaced single-pulse femtosecond regime, tracking wettability and chemical conversion.
• The result: The sub-nanosecond GHz burst enabled more extensive conversion, producing one-step bond reorganization and phase transformation and a low-adhesion superhydrophobic surface with a 161° ± 0.7° contact angle without posttreatment.

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