Ablation Mechanism Research Articles

Ablation behaviors and mechanisms of Cf/HfCPIP-SiCCVI composites: From SiO2 nanowires film to HfO2 skeleton

The ablation resistance of Cf/HfCPIP-SiCCVI composites was tested under an oxyacetylene flame. After ablation, many SiO2 nanowires were in-situ grown in the edge region. From the edge region to the transition region, the melting behaviors of SiO2 nanowires was gradually intensified, and finally, they completely transformed into SiO2 glass. At the border of the central region and the transition region, the HfO2 grains were gradually precipitated from the SiO2 glass and formed a tubular structure. By comparing the ablation behaviors at different temperatures and times, the ablation mechanisms of Cf/HfCPIP-SiCCVI composites was investigated systematically.

Thermal stability, pore structure characteristics of char layer and ablation resistance mechanism of new thermal insulation composites based on polyphosphazene polymer

Polyphosphazene (PDPP) composites have emerged as a hot research topic in the field of low-density composite insulation materials because of their good thermal stability and flame retardancy. In this study, the ablative properties and mechanism of PDPP composites reinforced by fiber and functional fillers are studied. The test results show that PDPP composites have good thermal stability and oxidation resistance. The results of the oxyacetylene ablation test show that PDPP composites has strong ablation resistance, and its char layer has high structural strength, as well as high bonding strength with the material matrix. However, the thermal insulation performance of PDPP composites is weak. Based on the physical and chemical analysis of the composite material and the char layer, it is concluded that the excellent ablation resistance is mainly due to the high strength of the char layer, which bnefits from high char yield of polyphosphazene polymer and the formation of silicon phosphate. However, the high thermal conductivity of composite and char layer lead to poor thermal insulation performance.

Photothermal effects of CuS-BSA nanoparticles on H22 hepatoma-bearing mice.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vivo application and photothermal ablation effects and mechanism of copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS NPs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sheet-like CuS-BSA NPs with a particle size of 30 nm were synthesized using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a biological modifier, and were physically characterized. To provide a reference range for the biosafety dose of CuS-BSA NPs, 36 male Kunming mice were randomly assigned into six groups. Different one-time doses of CuS-BSA NPs were injected via tail vein injection, and the potential damages of liver, kidney and spleen were observed 14 days later. To evaluate the in vivo photothermal effect of CuS-BSA NPs, 48 male Kunming mice were used to establish the H22 hepatoma-bearing mouse model and were randomly assigned into six groups. CuS-BSA NPs (600 μg/kg) were injected via tail vein or intratumoral injection. Irradiations were performed 30 min after injection, with a 980 nm near-infrared laser (2.0 W/cm2) for 10 min once a week for 3 weeks. The results indicated that the CuS-BSA NPs had good dispersibility in three different solvents and had a strong absorption peak at 980 nm. The heating curves demonstrated that the photothermal effects of CuS-BSA NPs aqueous solution exhibited concentration dependence and power density dependence. In the in vivo experiment, when the doses of CuS-BSA NPs were in the range of 1800–7,200 μg/kg, the thymus index and spleen index of mice were not significantly different from those of the control group, and the structures of liver, kidney and spleen were intact without remarkable pathological changes. A lower dose of CuS-BSA NPs (600 μg/kg) could effectively inhibit tumor growth in H22 hepatoma-bearing mice at 980 nm NIR. Moreover, under the near-infrared laser irradiation, both in the tail vein injection group and the intratumoral injection group, a large area of necrosis in the tumor tissue, as well as the up-regulation of apoptotic proteins including cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9 were observed. CuS-BSA NPs are promising photothermal agents in the photothermal therapy of cancer.

Study on the Ablation Mechanism of the First Pulse Insulation Layer in a Double-Pulse Solid Rocket Motor

In this work, numerical simulation and experimental research were carried out on ablation mechanism of the first pulse (I pulse) insulation layer in a double-pulse solid rocket motor (SRM). Firstly, based on the internal thermal environment of the typical double pulse SRM, the internal flow field in combustion chamber of the double-pulse SRM with soft type pulse separation device (PSD) under the second pulse (Ⅱ pulse) working condition was numerically simulated. The results showed that the main reason for the difference of ablation in I pulse insulation layer was the difference of gas phase velocity. Secondly, based on the simulation analysis results, the experimental system for ablation of insulation layer was developed, and the ablation performance experiments under two gas phase velocities were carried out. It was found that a brittle carbonized layer had been formed on the surface of the insulation layer after the completion of I pulse work. In addition, at the beginning of Ⅱ pulse work, the suddenly generated gas flow made a denudation effect on the carbonized layer, which consumed a part of the carbonized layer. After the carbonized layer was peeled off, the gas flow continued to ablate the matrix of the insulation layer. Finally, the simulation analysis of the ablation process of the insulation layer under two gas phase velocities was carried out. The results showed that the velocity of the fuel gas is the main factor affecting the ablation rate of the insulation layer, which was consistent with the experimental results. It is proven that the model can be used to estimate the ablation amount of insulation of solid rocket motor. The conclusion can provide a significant reference for the internal heat protection design of the double-pulse SRM.

Investigation on Ablation Characteristics and Material Removal Mechanism of Si3N4 Ceramics by a New Type of Coupled Laser Beam

Due to the excellent comprehensive properties, Si3N4 ceramics have been widely studied and applied in the field of engineering structures. Conventional processing of Si3N4 ceramics faces a series of challenges, and laser processing has become an effective processing technology for hard and brittle materials. In this paper, a new type of dual-beam coupled nanosecond pulsed laser was used to carry out a series of ablation experiments on Si3N4 ceramic at various powers, and the laser ablation mechanism was analyzed. The equivalent diameter method and the equivalent area method were used to calculate the corresponding laser ablation threshold, and influence of laser power on surface roughness of the ablation hole edge, hole depth, removal volume and hole taper were explored. The results show that when the repetition frequency f = 10 kHz, wavelength λ = 532 nm and ablation time t = 6 s, the laser ablation thresholds of Si3N4 ceramic calculated by the equivalent diameter method and the equivalent area method are 0.55 J/cm2 and 0.59 J/cm2, respectively. In a certain power range, surface roughness of the ablation hole edge, hole depth and removal volume increase with the increase of laser power, while the ablation hole taper decreases with the increasing laser power. This innovative work is helpful to expand the scope of laser processing technology for hard and brittle materials, and has guiding significance for the optimization of laser processing technology parameters of Si3N4 ceramics.

Effect of laser pulse energy deposition method on nanosecond laser scanning ablation of SiCp/AA2024 composites

The control of the thermal stress and heat accumulation is major issue faced in the laser precision machining, and plays a key role in the laser machining of composite materials. In this pursuit, the present study envisaged the effect of pulse energy deposition method on the processing of particulate reinforced aluminum alloy matrix composites SiCp/AA2024. Specifically, by modulating the combination of the spot overlap ratio (SOR) and the area scanning passes, a variety of pulse energy deposition methods with the same number of received pulses per unit area were designed and applied on a target. The influence of the pulse energy deposition on processing was evaluated by measuring and comparing the ablation depth and surface roughness. The results showed that by using multiple scanning passes with small spot overlap ratios led to a good processing with a high ablation depth. Furthermore, the influence of SOR and scanning passes on the machining was studied using the control variable method. The influence of energy deposition method was studied from the aspect of nanosecond laser ablation mechanism, Fresnel reflection effect and heat accumulation.

Ablation behavior of C/SiC with YSZ and ZrB2 coatings under high-energy laser irradiation

Carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composites are important candidates for laser protection materials. In this study, ablation mechanism of C/SiC coated with ZrO2/Mo and ZrB2–SiC/ZrO2/Mo under laser irradiation was studied. ZrB2–SiC multiphase ceramic and ZrO2 ceramic were successfully coated on C/SiC composite by atmospheric plasma spraying technology with Mo as transition layer. Phase evolution and morphology of composite were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, ablation behavior of the composite was investigated by laser confocal microscopy. Results showed that ablation mechanism of C/SiC composite was controlled by phase transformation, thermal reaction, and thermal diffusion, with solid–liquid transition of ZrB2 and ZrO2 being dominant factor. Endothermic reaction and good thermal diffusivity of coatings were also important factors affecting ablation performance. Reflectivity effect of ZrO2 coating was limited under high-energy laser irradiation. Compared with ZrO2/Mo single-phase-monolayer coating, designed ZrB2–SiC/ZrO2/Mo coating showed better ablation performance, and breakdown time of C/SiC increased from 10 to 40 s. The depletion of liquid phase in molten pool was identified as an important factor responsible for rapid failure of C/SiC. The coating failed when the entire liquid phase was consumed within molten pool, followed by rapid damage of C/SiC substrate. Results of this study can provide theoretical guidance and research ideas for design and application of laser protective materials.

Subaquatic indirect laser ablation technique for glass processing.

Subaquatic indirect Laser-Induced Plasma-Assisted Ablation (SLIPAA) is proposed as a laser-based technique for glass processing. In this configuration, a water layer is added between a metallic target and a soda-lime glass substrate, so the processing of the glass is due to a combination of the ablation mechanism, the shock waves, and the cavitation bubbles. Thus, this method makes it possible to produce higher depth structures than those performed up to now by other standard laser techniques based on ablation, achieving structures in glass with rectangular cross-sectional profiles. Channels of 1 mm width are fabricated, reaching an average maximal depth value of almost 1400 µm at 30 passes of the laser beam while keeping the focal position fixed. Furthermore, the difference between processing the material with and without the addition of the water layer is presented. The influence of the processing parameters on the shape and quality of the fabricated structures is studied by optical and confocal microscopy, microcomputed tomography, and scanning electron microscopy. Compositional analysis of the glass is performed by energy dispersive X-ray technique to assess the transference of material from the metallic target to the fabricated channels. Deeper and more complex structures are obtained by refocusing the laser beam on the target and adding a pulsed flowing water film.

Investigation on the parameter dependency of the perforation process of graphite based lithium-ion battery electrodes using ultrashort laser pulses

Perforation of lithium-ion battery electrodes has recently become an increasing interest in science and industry. Perforated electrodes have shown improved electrochemical properties compared to conventional, nonperforated electrodes. It has been demonstrated that through perforation, the fast-charging capability and the lifetime of these batteries can be significantly improved. The electrodes for lithium-ion batteries consist of a copper foil onto which the electrode material is applied as a porous layer. This layer is mainly composed of active material particles, which are bound together by a binder phase. Here, synthetic graphite was used as an active material. Up to now, it has been shown that an advantageous and precise perforation geometry can be produced by ultrashort laser pulse ablation. Since the ablation volumes during perforation of the porous electrode material with ultrashort laser pulses are unusually high compared to solids, this work investigates the parameter dependency on the ablation mechanisms in detail. For this purpose, in particular, single-pulse ablation was investigated with respect to the ablation thresholds at different pulse durations. The pulse durations were varied over a large range from 400 fs to 20 ps. By varying the number of pulses per perforation up to 50 and the single-pulse energy up to 45 μJ, it could be shown that a homogeneous ablation down to the conductor foil through the 63 μm thick active material layer can be achieved.

Pulsed electrical field in arrhythmia treatment: Current status and future directions.

Pulsed electrical field (PEF) ablation is a promising novel ablation modality for the treatment of arrhythmia, especially for atrial fibrillation (AF). There have been several important advances in PEF ablation over the past several years, such as the parameters of PEF delivery and electrode Design. And the results in almost all clinical studies of PEF for AF ablation are optimistic, both in terms of effectiveness and safety. This article provides a brief overview of the mechanism and technical progress of PEF ablation in cardiac arrhythmia treatment, and discuss it's potential applications and the future development.

New insights on the ablation mechanism of silicon carbide in dissociated air plasmas

Thermal protection system (TPS) applied in space vehicle is mainly composed of silicon carbide (SiC) and related components. When exposed in re-entry flows, the SiC based TPS may suffer from severe ablation if the surface temperature is beyond a critical threshold (generally ≥1600°C). Unveiling the ablation mechanism of SiC is thus vitally important to define the borders of service and to help optimize the TPS structures in re-entry environments. Motivated by this, this work uses an inductively coupled plasma wind tunnel to generate the dissociated air plasmas and explores the ablation behaviors of several SiC materials (including SiC ceramic and SiC fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites). Some new insights are acquired based on the detailed analysis of the surface characteristics prior to and after ablations. First, the role of surface roughness on the critical ablation temperature of the SiC based composite is put forward. Second, a ‘from-point-to-surface’ ablation process due to the surface roughness during the short ‘temperature jump’ is proposed, which is an important supplementary to the existing ablation model of SiC; Finally, a smoother surface with less defects is concluded to efficiently enhance the ablation resistance of the SiC based TPS in re-entry environments.

Preparation of liquid metal circuits on flexible polymers by selective laser ablation: Essential mechanism of non-conductivity in ablation part

This work prepared liquid metal films by roll coating on various flexible substrates and then selectively ablated unwanted areas using near-infrared or ultraviolet lasers. The ablated regions lost their conductivity, while the remaining areas remained highly conductive, resulting in the successful fabrication of high-precision liquid metal circuits on various flexible and stretchable substrates. Mechanism of non-conductivity of liquid metal after laser ablation was investigated in detail. First, under the action of laser, most of Galinstan is evaporated. Second, although very small amounts of liquid metal still remain, they exist in the isolated state and cannot form continuous conductive paths. Finally, a continuous porous network material appears in the residue after laser ablation, which is the non-conductive oxidation products of metallic gallium, indium, and tin. Due to the above three reasons, the liquid metal film after laser ablation can realize the transition from conductive to non-conductive, and the patterning of the liquid metal can be achieved. The application of liquid metal circuits prepared by this method in wearable sensors (electronic skin) was explored. This study contributes to the mechanism of selective laser ablation to fabricate liquid metal circuits, promoting a better understanding of this method in the field of flexible electronics.

Research on the ablation mechanism and ablation threshold of CMC-SiCf/SiC by using dual-beam coupling nanosecond laser

Due to the excellent properties of high hardness, oxidation resistance and high temperature resistance, silicon carbide fiber silicon carbide ceramic matrix composite (CMC-SiC f /SiC) is a typical difficult-to-process material, and is a high-performance advanced material in the aerospace field. In this paper, two groups of ablation experiments (experiment 1 and experiment 2) were performed on CMC-SiC f /SiC using a dual-beam coupling nanosecond laser, and the ablation morphology was observed by confocal laser microscope. The dual-beam coupling angle of experiment 2 is obtained by experimental method. And through the method of calculation, we get the dual-beam coupling angle of experiment 1 and experiment 2. According to the dual-beam coupling ablation mechanism, based on the theoretical calculation model of non-destructive method D 2 -ln P 0 , combined with the Equivalent Diameter Calculation Method (EDCM) and Equivalent Area Calculation Method (EACM), the laser ablation threshold corresponding to different beam waist size was calculated and compared. The results show that the ablation region of CMC-SiC f /SiC surface can be divided into three parts: ablation boundary, recast layer area and SiO 2 coverage area. When the pulse energy increases gradually from 300 μJ to 1500 μJ, the variation trend of hole depth is first increase, second decrease, increase again, and finally decrease. The angle between two laser beams affects the waist radius, which in turn affect the laser ablation threshold. The waist of the dual-beam coupling is elliptical, and the orifice of the ablation hole is elliptical. When the waist radius of nanosecond laser is 57 μm, the laser ablation threshold is calculated to be 3.12 J/cm 2 . The main factors affecting the laser ablation threshold are laser pulse repetition frequency ( f ), beam waist radius ( ω 0 ), laser pulse width ( τ ), minimum laser power ( P th ), and laser wavelength ( λ ).

Mechanisms of graphite ablation by sub-millisecond ytterbium fiber laser pulses

Graphite is a key material in a variety of cross-cutting applications in energy conversion, energy storage, and nuclear energy. Recently, temporally modulated continuous wave lasers have been shown to produce well-defined ablation features in graphite at relatively high processing speeds. In this work, we analyze in detail the laser ablation dynamics of single-pulse ablation in the sub-millisecond time regime to elucidate the origins of the resulting well-defined ablation craters using a combination of time-resolved emission imaging, diffuse reflection/scattering imaging, and optical emission spectroscopy. These multimodal in situ diagnostics revealed three main contributors to achieve well-defined ablation features: (1) rapid ejection of particles with ∼100 m/s speed, (2) ablation of the graphite in the gaseous form, and (3) absence of bulk liquid motion, which is typically observed in laser processing of metals. Plasma plume formation was sustained throughout the duration of the laser pulse (500 μs). This work provides insights into the complex physical and chemical mechanisms of sub-millisecond laser–matter interactions, which are critical for parameter space optimization and tailoring of laser machining and drilling processes.

Assessment of a 3D ablation material response model for lightweight quartz fiber reinforced phenolic composite

AbstractTo understand the ablation mechanism of materials is crucial for the design of thermal protection system (TPS) for manned reentry vehicles. To investigate the thermal behavior of lightweight quartz fiber reinforced phenolic (LQP) composite subjected to an aerodynamic hyper‐thermal environment, a 3D ablation material response model for the LQP composite is developed with surface and volume ablation in consideration. It is used to predict surface and back temperature, linear ablation velocity, and quality loss rate of the material. The 3D temperature field, pyrolysis degree, gas flow, and pressure field are analyzed as well. To evaluate the accuracy of the model, an ablation test of oxyacetylene flame is adopted on the LQP composite. In the ablation process, the pyrolysis gases propagate primarily through the surface primarily and through the sidewall afterwards. The gas pressure peaks at the early stage rather than increasing constantly. The analysis of thermal insulation mechanism of the LQP composite indicates that the radiation and heat blockage effect are the primary factors to improve the ablation resistance, accounting for 50.0% and 37.3% of the improvement, respectively. The low thermal conductivity determines the admirable thermal insulation performance. The surface temperature of material can be reduced by introducing high emissivity powder into the material, preparing coating on the surface, and adjusting the content of phenolic and silica fiber.

Femtosecond Laser-Induced Anisotropic Structure and Nonlinear Optical Response of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Single Crystals with Different Planes.

Nonlinear optical properties have been extensively studied due to their promising nonlinear effects and various applications. With ultrashort duration and ultrahigh intensity, a femtosecond laser can fabricate various superior-quality micro-/nanostructures to improve the nonlinearity of materials, which are promising for stable and high-performance nonlinear devices. In this contribution, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) with fs laser-induced micro-/nanostructures is demonstrated to exhibit unique anisotropic light-material interaction and nonlinear optical response on [100], [110], and [111] planes. Time-resolved reflectivity of YSZ after fs laser excitation is investigated by a pump-probe experiment, which is consistent with simulations through the plasma model combined with a two-temperature model. These results indicate two early ablation mechanisms: Coulomb explosion and melting. Anisotropic crack structures are formed due to thermal stress, which is always ignored in fs laser fabrication and is verified by Raman mapping and analysis of slip systems on different crystal planes. Through the z-scan measurement, the nonlinear absorption (NLA) of crack structures is effectively improved, and a nearly 18 times enhancement of the NLA coefficient is acquired in [100] samples, while a 2 times enhancement in [110] and [111] samples. Such great enhancement of NLA is mainly due to the abundant presence of crack structures and the increase of fs laser-induced oxygen vacancies in [100] YSZ. These results provide a potential way of utilizing fs laser to improve the nonlinearity for the technological development in nonlinear devices.

Competitive mechanism of laser energy and pulses on holes ablation by femtosecond laser percussion drilling on AlN ceramics

In laser microstructure machining, results are derived through the action of multiple laser processing parameters (LPPs); therefore, multiple studies on the effect of LPPs on machining results are available. Further, few studies observed how competitive mechanism of each LPP affects machining results. As the most important LPPs, single-pulse energy and the number of pulses were varied to assess their effect on hole dimension and morphology. Additionally, competitive mechanism of LPPs on hole ablation was further explored. The study was based on femtosecond laser percussion drilling on aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics surface. It was found that laser energy has a dominant role in initial ablation, determining both ablation and ablation mechanism. Additionally, it also determined hole inlet surface morphology and ablation mechanism remained the same regardless of increase in the number of pulses. Laser pulses assumed a dominant role after intersection point of LPPs acceleration rate and hole dimension acceleration rate. Hence, final hole dimensions and its sidewall morphology were defined. It was found that deep holes can be processed both in gentle ablation and strong ablation with lots of pulses. However, there are opposite mechanisms for inducing hole sidewall morphology; for example, in strong ablation, solidification effect is enhanced with increase of hole depth, while it is decreased in gentle ablation.

Thermal Stability, Mechanical Properties and Ceramization Mechanism of Epoxy Resin/Kaolin/Quartz Fiber Ceramifiable Composites

The application of epoxy resins in high temperature and thermal protection fields is limited due to their low decomposition temperature and low carbon residual rate. In this paper, epoxy resin (EP)/quartz fiber (QF) ceramifiable composites were prepared using a prepreg-molding process. The thermal stability, phase change and mechanical properties after high-temperature static ablation and ceramization mechanism of EP/QF ceramifiable composites were investigated. The addition of glass frits and kaolinite ceramic filler dramatically increases the thermal stability of the composites, according to thermogravimetric (TG) studies. The composite has a maximum residual weight of 61.08%. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the mullite ceramic phase is generated, and a strong quartz diffraction peak appears at 1000 °C. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and element distribution analyses reveal that the ceramic phase generated inside the material, when the temperature reaches 1000 °C, effectively fills the voids in composites. The composites have a bending strength of 175.37 MPa at room temperature and retain a maximum bending strength of 12.89 MPa after 1000 °C treatment.

Nanosecond laser preheating effect on ablation morphology and plasma emission in collinear dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Focus-offset collinear dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is designed and used to investigate the laser ablation and spectral intensity with an aluminum alloy sample. The laser crater morphologies and ablation volumes were measured. An inter-pulse time delay dependent ablation efficiency on a nanosecond laser-heated sample was observed, which was similar to the trend of spectral intensity versus inter-pulse time delay in the delay time less than 3 μs. Based on the observation, the nanosecond pulse laser preheating effect on subsequent second laser ablation and signal enhancement is discussed, which will be helpful for understanding the ablation and signal enhancement mechanism in the standard collinear DP-LIBS technique.

First Observation of Pellet Ablation Clouds Using Two-Directional Simultaneous Photography in GAMMA 10/PDX

The study of pellet ablation mechanisms is an important subject for plasma fueling in fusion plasmas. In GAMMA 10/PDX, sub-millimeter hydrogen pellet injection experiments are conducted in the higher electron density plasma for detached plasma experiments. We observed the pellet ablation cloud by two-directional simultaneous photography during the GAMMA 10/PDX pellet injection experiments. The three-dimensional pellet ablation cloud and its trajectory were clearly obtained for the first time.