Open AccessRapid in situ synthesis of polymer-metal nanocomposite films in several seconds using a CO2 laser
Author(s) -
Kazuhiko Kashihara,
Yuki Uto,
Takashi Nakajima
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/s41598-018-33006-9
Subject(s) - nanocomposite , materials science , laser , polymer , substrate (aquarium) , metal , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , matrix (chemical analysis) , nanotechnology , composite material , optics , metallurgy , engineering , physics , oceanography , geology
We demonstrate the rapid in situ synthesis of polymer-metal nanocomposite films using a CO 2 laser at 10.6 μm. The mechanism of our method is that the precursor of the metal nanoparticles, i.e., the metallic ions, is very rapidly reduced in the laser-heated polymer matrix without any reducing agent. Unlike other known laser-induced reduction methods using UV lasers, which produce radicals to promote reduction, the CO 2 laser energy is mainly absorbed by the glass substrate, and the laser-heated substrate heats the polymer matrix through heat diffusion to promote reduction. The superiority of the use of CO 2 lasers over nanosecond visible~UV lasers is also demonstrated in terms of the damage to the film. The developed method can be a new alternative to quickly synthesize a variety of polymer-metal nanocomposite films.