scholarly journals Hierarchical Microtextures Embossed on PET from Laser-Patterned Stamps

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1756
Author(s):  
Felix Bouchard ◽  
Marcos Soldera ◽  
Robert Baumann ◽  
Andrés Fabián Lasagni
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Spatial Period ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Microscopy Imaging ◽  
Drop Shape ◽  
Direct Laser ◽  
Direct Laser Interference Patterning ◽  
Processing Steps

Nowadays, the demand for surface functionalized plastics is constantly rising. To address this demand with an industry compatible solution, here a strategy is developed for producing hierarchical microstructures on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by hot embossing using a stainless steel stamp. The master was structured using three laser-based processing steps. First, a nanosecond-Direct Laser Writing (DLW) system was used to pattern dimples with a depth of up to 8 µm. Next, the surface was smoothed by a remelting process with a high-speed laser scanning at low laser fluence. In the third step, Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) was utilized using four interfering sub-beams to texture a hole-like substructure with a spatial period of 3.1 µm and a depth up to 2 µm. The produced stamp was used to imprint PET foils under controlled temperature and pressure. Optical confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy imaging showed that the hierarchical textures could be accurately transferred to the polymer. Finally, the wettability of the single- and multi-scaled textured PET surfaces was characterized with a drop shape analyzer, revealing that the highest water contact angles were reached for the hierarchical patterns. Particularly, this angle was increased from 77° on the untreated PET up to 105° for a hierarchical structure processed with a DLW spot distance of 60 µm and with 10 pulses for the DLIP treatment.

scholarly journals Direct Laser Interference Patterning of Diffraction Gratings in Safrofilcon-A Hydrogel: Fabrication and Hydration Assessment

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 679
Author(s):  
Daniel Sola ◽  
Stephan Milles ◽  
Andrés F. Lasagni
Keyword(s):  
Laser Fluence ◽  
Contact Lenses ◽  
Laser Source ◽  
Spatial Period ◽  
Laser Interference ◽  
Periodic Patterns ◽  
Hydration Properties ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Direct Laser ◽  
Direct Laser Interference Patterning

Refractive index modification by laser micro-structuration of diffractive optical devices in ophthalmic polymers has recently been applied for refractive correction in the fields of optics and ophthalmology. In this work, Safrofilcon-A hydrogel, used as soft contact lenses, was processed by direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) to fabricate linear periodic patterns on the surface of the samples. Periodic modulation of the surface was attained under two-beam interference by using a Q-switched laser source with emission at 263 nm and 4 ns pulse duration. Features of processed areas were studied as a function of both the interference spatial period and the laser fluence. Optical confocal microscopy used to evaluate the topography of the processed samples showed that both structured height and surface roughness increased with laser fluence. Static water contact angle (WCA) measurements were carried out with deionized water droplets on the structured areas to evaluate the hydration properties of DLIP structures. It was observed that the laser structured areas induced a delay in the hydration process. Finally, microstructural changes induced in the structured areas were assessed by confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy showing that at low laser fluences the polymer structure remained almost unaltered. In addition, Raman spectra of hydrated samples recovered the original shape of areas structured at low laser fluence.

scholarly journals Wettability control of polymeric microstructures replicated from laser-patterned stamps

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangxi Fu ◽  
Marcos Soldera ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Stephan Milles ◽  
Kangfa Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Contact Angle Hysteresis ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Spatial Period ◽  
Structured Surfaces ◽  
High Adhesion ◽  
Direct Laser ◽  
Periodic Microstructures ◽  
Structure Height ◽  
Direct Laser Interference Patterning ◽  
Micropillar Arrays

AbstractIn this study, two-step approaches to fabricate periodic microstructures on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates are presented to control the wettability of polymeric surfaces. Micropillar arrays with periods between 1.6 and 4.6 µm are patterned by plate-to-plate hot embossing using chromium stamps structured by four-beam Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP). By varying the laser parameters, the shape, spatial period, and structure height of the laser-induced topography on Cr stamps are controlled. After that, the wettability properties, namely the static, advancing/receding contact angles (CAs), and contact angle hysteresis were characterized on the patterned PET and PMMA surfaces. The results indicate that the micropillar arrays induced a hydrophobic state in both polymers with CAs up to 140° in the case of PET, without modifying the surface chemistry. However, the structured surfaces show high adhesion to water, as the droplets stick to the surfaces and do not roll down even upon turning the substrates upside down. To investigate the wetting state on the structured polymers, theoretical CAs predicted by Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models for selected structured samples with different topographical characteristics are also calculated and compared with the experimental data.

scholarly journals Stable Superhydrophobic Aluminum Surfaces Based on Laser-Fabricated Hierarchical Textures

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
Stephan Milles ◽  
Johannes Dahms ◽  
Marcos Soldera ◽  
Andrés F. Lasagni
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Processing Parameters ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Textured Surfaces ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Static Contact ◽  
Direct Laser ◽  
Direct Laser Interference Patterning ◽  
Microtextured Surfaces

Laser-microtextured surfaces have gained an increasing interest due to their enormous spectrum of applications and industrial scalability. Direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) and the well-established direct laser writing (DLW) methods are suitable as a powerful combination for the fabrication of single (DLW or DLIP) and multi-scale (DLW+DLIP) textures. In this work, four-beam DLIP and DLW were used independently and combined to produce functional textures on aluminum. The influence of the laser processing parameters, such as the applied laser fluence and the number of pulses, on the resulting topography was analyzed by confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The static long-term and dynamic wettability characteristics of the laser-textured surfaces were determined through water contact angle and hysteresis measurements, revealing superhydrophobic properties with static contact angles up to 163° and hysteresis as low as 9°. The classical Cassie–Baxter and Wenzel models were applied, permitting a deeper understanding of the observed wetting behaviors. Finally, mechanical stability tests revealed that the DLW elements in the multi-scale structure protects the smaller DLIP features under tribological conditions.

Automated biofilm morphology quantification from confocal laser scanning microscopy imaging

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.B. Xavier ◽  
D.C. White ◽  
J.S. Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Confocal Laser Scanning ◽  
Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Microscopy Imaging ◽  
Biofilm Structure ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Processing Steps

In spite of the immediate visual appeal of confocal laser scanning microscopy images, the extraction of accurate reconstitutions of biofilm morphology requires a lengthy and computational intensive succession of processing steps. However, once performed, it provides ample reward by enabling the quantitative study of biofilm structure. A software suite of image processing tools for full automation of biofilm morphology quantification was developed by integrating preprocessing, segmentation and morphology quantification operations. This software toolbox was implemented in a web server and a user friendly interface was developed to facilitate image submission, storage and sharing, its access being unrestricted for scientific applications. The image bioinformatics tool which results from the integration of the processing operations can be accessed at http://www.itqb.unl.pt:1111/clsmip/. Its use is described in this paper and is illustrated with an example of processing of experimental data describing the growth of a mixed species denitrifying biofilm.

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