Premium
Imagewise Structuring of Diazosulfonate Polymer Films by UV Light and Laser Irradiation – A Comparison
Author(s) -
van Aert Huub,
van Damme Marc,
Nuyken Oskar,
Schnöller Ute,
Eichhorn KlausJochen,
Grundke Karina,
Voit Brigitte
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/1439-2054(200108)286:8<488::aid-mame488>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - materials science , irradiation , wetting , polymer , ellipsometry , contact angle , laser , chemical engineering , composite material , optics , thin film , nanotechnology , physics , nuclear physics , engineering
Diazosulfonate polymers are applied as photo resins for printing plates and imaged via UV light and IR laser irradiation. Both methods lead to sufficient differentiation in the exposed areas to allow image formation upon printing. Changes in the exposed areas compared to the unexposed sites are studied via UV and IR spectroscopy and the surface properties are characterized using contact angle measurements, ellipsometry, and atomic force microscopy. Upon UV irradiation the polymer films retain their smooth surface but the changes in the solubility and wetting behavior are considerable. Laser imaging leads to a thermally induced foaming of the polymer film, and thus to a different ink accepting behavior.