Growth of Coherent Whiskers on Polycarbonate Substrates by Laser Radiation

Abstract

We suggest a new technology for crystallizing arbitrary materials at temperatures of 3,000 – 4,000°C and pressures of 20 – 100 thousand atmospheres. We obtain the first experimental results in a foil-coated polycarbonate that comprised diffraction gratings. We establish that a laser beam reflected from the diffraction gratings is self-focused inside polycarbonate and becomes a seed, which changes the polycarbonate structure and leads to vitrification and growth of ordered structures from symmetrically arranged whiskers. This results in a light dispersion effect in composites. The results concerning whiskers formed with sharp tips are presented. We use data obtained in these experiments for developing a model of crystallization with rates of 80 – 100 m/s. In this case, not only crystals grow, but nanowhiskers as well. We discover a new phenomenon of nanowhiskerography, which can be used for developing the defence against falsification that cannot be reproduced by polygraphic methods.