Nanoparticles enhanced laser ablation propulsion (NE-LAP) of Cu: A response surface regression approach

Abstract

The nanoparticles (NPs) present on the surface of the sample interact with the electromagnetic field of the incident laser pulse and provide better ablation efficiency. The large surface area of NPs and the mechanism of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) positively affect the Laser Matter Interaction. In this work, we report for the first time to the best of our knowledge the use of silver (Ag) NPs for the enhancement of Laser Ablation Propulsion (LAP) parameters of the metallic targets. An Nd:YAG laser (Quantel Brilliant) having pulse duration 5 ns operating at 1064 nm was used to ablate the copper samples with and without Ag NPs coatings. The Ag Nanoparticles layer was deposited using a spin coating technique. The spatial distribution of the deposited nanoparticles layer on the copper substrate was confirmed using the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The LAP parameters, namely the momentum coupling coefficient Cm, the exhaust velocity VE, the specific impulse Isp and the ablation efficiency ηAB, were calculated. We have also studied the effects of various parameters like laser fluenece, coating of nanoparticles, as well as the interaction effect (fluence × coating) on the ablation efficiency using the Response Surface Regression approach. The analysis has revealed that the Ag nanoparticles coating over the surface of the propellant significantly enhances the LAP parameters. This opens a new avenue for the application of nanoparticles in the field of laser propulsion.