Laser induced periodic surface structures formation by nanosecond laser irradiation of poly (ethylene terephthalate) reinforced with Expanded Graphite

Abstract

We report on the formation of Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures in poly (ethylene terephthalate) and poly (ethylene terephthalate)/Expanded Graphite films by laser irradiation with nanosecond pulses at 266 nm. The characterization studies show that the quality of the ripples depends strongly on the irradiation time and fluence and the optimal conditions for obtaining LIPSS are affected by the amount of the expanded graphite present in the film due to the differences in crystallinity, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the nanocomposites. Physicochemical modifications in the materials were inspected by Raman spectroscopy, the colloidal probe technique and contact angle measurements using different liquids. Results show that there is an increase of the hydrophilicity of the surfaces after laser irradiation together with an increase of the surface free energy and in particular of its polar component. Additionally, the adhesion force estimated by the colloidal probe technique increases after laser nanostructuring.