Polymers

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7 pages, 2913 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Cavity Structure on Tuning Properties of Polymer Lasers in a Liquid Environment

by Fengzhao Cao, Shuai Zhang, Junhua Tong, Chao Chen, Lianze Niu, Tianrui Zhai and Xinping Zhang

Polymers 2019, 11(2), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11020329 - 14 Feb 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3854

Abstract

The effect of cavity structures on the tuning properties of polymer lasers was investigated in two common distributed-feedback cavities. The configurations of the two cavities are substrate/grating/active waveguide and substrate/active waveguide/grating, respectively. The polymer lasers were operated in the liquid environment, and the [...] Read more.

The effect of cavity structures on the tuning properties of polymer lasers was investigated in two common distributed-feedback cavities. The configurations of the two cavities are substrate/grating/active waveguide and substrate/active waveguide/grating, respectively. The polymer lasers were operated in the liquid environment, and the laser wavelength was tuned dynamically by changing the refractive index of the liquid. Polymer lasers based on the substrate/grating/active waveguide structure showed a higher tunability than those based on the substrate/active waveguide/grating structure due to a larger electric field distribution of the laser mode in the liquid environment. It is expected that these results will be useful in the development of tunable laser sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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22 pages, 5012 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laser Processed Antimicrobial Nanocomposite Based on Polyaniline Grafted Lignin Loaded with Gentamicin-Functionalized Magnetite

by Anita Ioana Visan, Gianina Popescu-Pelin, Oana Gherasim, Valentina Grumezescu, Marcela Socol, Irina Zgura, Camelia Florica, Roxana C. Popescu, Diana Savu, Alina Maria Holban, Rodica Cristescu, Consuela E. Matei and Gabriel Socol

Polymers 2019, 11(2), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11020283 - 7 Feb 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4918

Abstract

Composite thin coatings of conductive polymer (polyaniline grafted lignin, PANI-LIG) embedded with aminoglycoside Gentamicin sulfate (GS) or magnetite nanoparticles loaded with GS (Fe₃O₄@GS) were deposited by the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The aim was to obtain such [...] Read more.

Composite thin coatings of conductive polymer (polyaniline grafted lignin, PANI-LIG) embedded with aminoglycoside Gentamicin sulfate (GS) or magnetite nanoparticles loaded with GS (Fe₃O₄@GS) were deposited by the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The aim was to obtain such nanostructured coatings for titanium-based biomedical surfaces, which would induce multi-functional properties to implantable devices, such as the controlled release of the therapeutically active substance under the action of a magnetic and/or electric field. Thus, the unaltered laser transfer of the initial biomaterials was reported, and the deposited thin coatings exhibited an appropriate nanostructured surface, suitable for bone-related applications. The laser processing of PANI-LIG materials had a meaningful impact on the composites’ wettability, since the contact angle values corresponding to the composite laser processed materials decreased in comparison with pristine conductive polymer coatings, indicating more hydrophilic surfaces. The corrosion resistant structures exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans strains. In vitro cytotoxicity studies demonstrated that the PANI-LIG-modified titanium substrates can allow growth of bone-like cells. These results encourage further assessment of this type of biomaterial for their application in controlled drug release at implantation sites by external activation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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9 pages, 1659 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Operating Characteristics of High-Order Distributed Feedback Polymer Lasers

by Puxi Zhou, Lianze Niu, Anwer Hayat, Fengzhao Cao, Tianrui Zhai and Xinping Zhang

Polymers 2019, 11(2), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11020258 - 3 Feb 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5877

Abstract

In this study, high-order distributed-feedback (DFB) polymer lasers were comparatively investigated. Their performance relies on multiple lasing directions and their advantages include their high manufacturing tolerances due to the large grating periods. Nine laser cavities were fabricated by spin-coating the gain polymer films [...] Read more.

In this study, high-order distributed-feedback (DFB) polymer lasers were comparatively investigated. Their performance relies on multiple lasing directions and their advantages include their high manufacturing tolerances due to the large grating periods. Nine laser cavities were fabricated by spin-coating the gain polymer films onto a grating structure, which was manufactured via interference lithography that operated at the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th DFB orders. Low threshold lasing and high slope efficiency were achieved in high-order DFB polymer lasers due to the large grating groove depth and the large gain layer thickness. A high-order DFB configuration shows possible advantages, including the ability to control the lasing direction and to achieve multiple-wavelength lasers. Furthermore, our investigation demonstrates that the increase in threshold and decrease in slope efficiency with an increase in the feedback order can be limited by controlling the structural parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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12 pages, 4981 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microdrilling of Through-Holes in Flexible Printed Circuits Using Picosecond Ultrashort Pulse Laser

by Wanqin Zhao and Lingzhi Wang

Polymers 2018, 10(12), 1390; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10121390 - 14 Dec 2018

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6576

Abstract

High density and high quality interconnects are necessary for the preparation of miniaturized and lightweight electronic products. Therefore, small-diameter and high-density through-holes in FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) are required. However, the current processing methods cannot further decrease the diameters and improve the quality [...] Read more.

High density and high quality interconnects are necessary for the preparation of miniaturized and lightweight electronic products. Therefore, small-diameter and high-density through-holes in FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) are required. However, the current processing methods cannot further decrease the diameters and improve the quality of through-holes. Comparatively, ultrashort pulse laser is a good choice. In this paper, the processing technology for the microdrilling of through-holes in FPCs using a 10 ps pulse laser was systematically studied. The effects of laser parameters, including the wavelength, energy, pulses and polarization, on the drilling of through-holes were investigated. The various processing parameters were optimized and the plausible reasons were discussed. Finally, the desired small-diameter and high-density through-holes in FPCs were obtained. The experimental results showed that, through-holes with diameters of less than 10 µm and inlet interconnection pitches of 0~2 µm could be successfully drilled in FPCs using ultrashort pulse laser. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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7 pages, 17847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polymer Lasing in a Periodic-Random Compound Cavity

by Tianrui Zhai, Xiaofeng Wu, Songtao Li, Shuyan Liang, Lianze Niu, Meng Wang, Shengfei Feng, Hongmei Liu and Xinping Zhang

Polymers 2018, 10(11), 1194; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10111194 - 26 Oct 2018

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3507

Abstract

Simultaneous distributed feedback (DFB) lasing and linear polarized random lasing are observed in a compound cavity, which consists of a grating cavity and a random cavity. The grating cavity is fabricated by interference lithography. A light-emitting polymer doped with silver nanoparticles is spin-coated [...] Read more.

Simultaneous distributed feedback (DFB) lasing and linear polarized random lasing are observed in a compound cavity, which consists of a grating cavity and a random cavity. The grating cavity is fabricated by interference lithography. A light-emitting polymer doped with silver nanoparticles is spin-coated on the grating, forming a random cavity. DFB lasing and random lasing occur when the periodic-random compound cavity is optically pumped. The directionality and polarization of the random laser are modified by the grating structure. These results can potentially be used to design integrated laser sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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13 pages, 6214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laser-Textured Rubbers with Carbon Nanotube Fillers

by Mariusz Siciński, Ewa Korzeniewska, Mariusz Tomczyk, Ryszard Pawlak, Dariusz Bieliński, Tomasz Gozdek, Karolina Kałuzińska and Maria Walczak

Polymers 2018, 10(10), 1091; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10101091 - 2 Oct 2018

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3373

Abstract

This paper describes a method of laser ablation for improving the hydrophobic properties of vulcanized rubber. The treatment was tested on acrylonitrile rubber (NBR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) containing carbon nanotubes and soot as fillers. The surface layer of the vulcanizates was [...] Read more.

This paper describes a method of laser ablation for improving the hydrophobic properties of vulcanized rubber. The treatment was tested on acrylonitrile rubber (NBR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) containing carbon nanotubes and soot as fillers. The surface layer of the vulcanizates was modified using a nanosecond-pulsed laser at 1060 nm wavelength. The parameters of the ablation process were congruent, so no chemical changes in the polymeric material were observed. Evaluation of the surface condition of the laser-textured samples was performed using a Leica MZ6 stereoscopic microscope, operating with MultiScan 8.0 image analysis software. The contact angles were determined for all the samples before and after the surface modification process. Following modification of the surface morphology, with the best parameters of laser ablation, the contact angle increased, reaching 147°, which is very close to the threshold of superhydrophobicity (150°). On the basis of the results from several tests, laser ablation with a fiber-pulsed laser can be considered a very useful method for producing rubbers with superhydrophobic surfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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Review

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31 pages, 9874 KiB

Open AccessReview

Polymer-Based Device Fabrication and Applications Using Direct Laser Writing Technology

by Zhen-Lin Wu, Ya-Nan Qi, Xiao-Jie Yin, Xin Yang, Chang-Ming Chen, Jing-Ying Yu, Jia-Chen Yu, Yu-Meng Lin, Fang Hui, Peng-Li Liu, Yu-Xin Liang, Yang Zhang and Ming-Shan Zhao

Polymers 2019, 11(3), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11030553 - 22 Mar 2019

Cited by 47 | Viewed by 9983

Abstract

Polymer materials exhibit unique properties in the fabrication of optical waveguide devices, electromagnetic devices, and bio-devices. Direct laser writing (DLW) technology is widely used for micro-structure fabrication due to its high processing precision, low cost, and no need for mask exposure. This paper [...] Read more.

Polymer materials exhibit unique properties in the fabrication of optical waveguide devices, electromagnetic devices, and bio-devices. Direct laser writing (DLW) technology is widely used for micro-structure fabrication due to its high processing precision, low cost, and no need for mask exposure. This paper reviews the latest research progresses of polymer-based micro/nano-devices fabricated using the DLW technique as well as their applications. In order to realize various device structures and functions, different manufacture parameters of DLW systems are adopted, which are also investigated in this work. The flexible use of the DLW process in various polymer-based microstructures, including optical, electronic, magnetic, and biomedical devices are reviewed together with their applications. In addition, polymer materials which are developed with unique properties for the use of DLW technology are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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15 pages, 5327 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Advances in Conjugated Polymer Lasers

by Hongyan Xia, Chang Hu, Tingkuo Chen, Dan Hu, Muru Zhang and Kang Xie

Polymers 2019, 11(3), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11030443 - 7 Mar 2019

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5906

Abstract

This paper provides a review of advances in conjugated polymer lasers. High photoluminescence efficiencies and large stimulated emission cross-sections coupled with wavelength tunability and low-cost manufacturing processes make conjugated polymers ideal laser gain materials. In recent years, conjugated polymer lasers have become an [...] Read more.

This paper provides a review of advances in conjugated polymer lasers. High photoluminescence efficiencies and large stimulated emission cross-sections coupled with wavelength tunability and low-cost manufacturing processes make conjugated polymers ideal laser gain materials. In recent years, conjugated polymer lasers have become an attractive research direction in the field of organic lasers and numerous breakthroughs based on conjugated polymer lasers have been made in the last decade. This paper summarizes the recent progress of the subject of laser processes employing conjugated polymers, with a focus on the photoluminescence principle and excitation radiation mechanism of conjugated polymers. Furthermore, the effect of conjugated polymer structures on the laser threshold is discussed. The most common polymer laser materials are also introduced in detail. Apart from photo-pumped conjugated polymer lasers, a direction for the future development of electro-pumped conjugated polymer lasers is proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser processing in polymer research)

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