Nanosecond laser coloration of Ti-based metallic glass under various laser parameters and irradiation atmospheres

Laser coloration is an emerging technique for surface functionalization of metallic glasses (MGs). Understanding the influence of laser parameters on surface color of MGs will accelerate their commercialization. Herein, surface coloration was conducted on a Ti-based MG, and the hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) color space was employed to evaluate color variation. Various colors were achieved by varying the average power and scanning speed in an ambient atmosphere. The results indicated that the overlap rate and number of repetitive scans had a negligible effect on the color and significantly changed the microscopic morphology. The irradiated surfaces were yellowish and colorless in nitrogen and argon atmospheres. Furthermore, the effect of morphology on the surface color and the mechanism of surface coloration were examined. This study demonstrates that nanosecond laser irradiation is an effective method for achieving surface coloration of MGs, which is expected to enrich the surface functionality of MG products.