Non-thermal ablation of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene with an intense femtosecond-pulse laser

Opt Express. 2009 Jul 20;17(15):13116-21. doi: 10.1364/oe.17.013116.

Abstract

Ablation of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene without disruption of the fine porous structure is demonstrated using an intense femtosecond-pulse laser. As a result of laser-matter interactions near ablation threshold fluence, high-energy ions are emitted, which cannot be produced by thermal dissociation of the molecules. The ion energy is produced by Coulomb explosion of the elements of (-CF(2)-CF(2)-)(n) and the energy spectra of the ions show contributions from the Coulomb explosions of the ions rather than those of thermal expansion to generate high-energy ions. The dependence of ion energy on the laser fluence of a 180-fs pulse, compared with that of a 400-ps pulse, also suggests that the high-energy ions are accelerated by Coulomb explosion.

MeSH terms

  • Carbon / chemistry
  • Equipment Design
  • Ions
  • Lasers*
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / methods
  • Models, Statistical
  • Normal Distribution
  • Optics and Photonics*
  • Physics / methods
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Polytetrafluoroethylene / chemistry*
  • Porosity

Substances

  • Ions
  • Polymers
  • Carbon
  • Polytetrafluoroethylene