Annealing of SnO2 thin films by ultra-short laser pulses

Post-deposition annealing by ultra-short laser pulses can modify the optical properties of SnO2 thin films by means of thermal processing. Industrial grade SnO2 films exhibited improved optical properties after picosecond laser irradiation, at the expense of a slightly increased sheet resistance [Proc. SPIE 8826, 88260I (2013)]. The figure of...

Modification of Cu surface with picosecond laser pulses

High purity, mirror-polished polycrystalline Cu surface was treated with single picosecond laser pulses at fluence levels close to the single-pulse modification threshold. The induced surface topography and sub-surface changes were examined with scanning and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The analysis showed an increased...

Treatment of Polymer Surfaces with Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas

Due to ongoing improvements in polymer-based materials, they are being used in an increasingly wider range of applications. In addition to special bulk physical properties, specific surface properties are often required in particular applications. However, common polymers very often do not possess the desired surface properties. Several...

Optical and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films after ultra-short pulsed laser annealing

Ultra-short pulsed laser sources, with pulse durations in the ps and fs regime, are commonly exploited for cold ablation. However, operating ultra-short pulsed laser sources at fluence levels well below the ablation threshold allows for fast and selective thermal processing. The latter is especially advantageous for the processing of thin films....

Maleic anhydride based copolymer dispersions for surface modification of polar substrates

In this article, we report the modification of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) with monofunctional amine-terminated poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS-NH2) by thermal imidization, followed by the preparation and characterization of a surfactant-free artificial latex thereof and application of this latex onto cotton fabric. The imidization...

The influence of surface DBD plasma treatment on the adhesion of coatings to high-tech textiles

The surface of high-performance poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers is difficult to wet and impossible to chemically bond to different matrices. Sizing applied on the fiber surface usually improves fiber wetting, but prevents good adhesion between a matrix and the fiber surface. The present study demonstrates that the plasma treatment...

High density hydrophilic and hydrophobic brush coatings using a polymeric primer layer

Polymer brush coatings, consisting of polymer chains covalently attached to a surface and being less than a hundred nanometer thick, allow the creation of functional surfaces without altering the inherent bulk properties or appearance of a product. Surface properties depend on the type and length of the polymer used, as well as on the grafting...

Study of wettability and improvement of adhesion of UV curable powder coatings on polypropylene substrates

Different benzophenone type photoinitiators were photografted onto polypropylene. The polymer surfaces were analysed by means of contact angle measurements, UV spectroscopy, and FTIR-ATR. The modified samples showed a better wettability and higher surface energies increasing from 26 mN/m for pure polypropylene up to 36 mN/m for the modified...