Controllable Fabrication of Hydrophilic Surface Micro/Nanostructures of CFRP by Femtosecond Laser

Pei Zuo, Tongfeng Liu, Fang Li, Guoyan Wang, Kaihu Zhang, Xin Li, Weina Han, Hong Tian, Lifei Hu, Helang Huang, Di Zhu, Lan Jiang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), a highly engineered lightweight material with superior properties, is widely used in industrial fields, such as aerospace, automobile, and railway transportation, as well as medical implants and supercapacitor. This work presents an effective surface treatment method for the controllable fabrication of hydrophilic surface micro/nanostructures of CFRP through femtosecond laser processing. Selective removal of the epoxy resin and leaving the carbon fibers exposed are achieved when CFRP is weakly ablated by a femtosecond laser. The diameters and structures of the carbon fibers can be controlled by adjusting the laser processing parameters. Three-dimensional surface micro/nanostructures are processed when CFRP is strongly ablated by a femtosecond laser. Meanwhile, the transformation of the sp2 orbitals to sp3 orbitals of graphitic carbons of carbon fibers is induced by a femtosecond laser. Moreover, the investigation of surface roughness and wettability of femtosecond laser-processed CFRP indicates increased roughness and excellent hydrophilicity (a contact angle of 28.1°). This work reveals the effect of femtosecond laser processing on the regulation of the physicochemical properties of CFRP, which can be applicable to surface treatment and performance control of other fiber-resin composites. The excellent hydrophilicity will be conducive to the combination of CFRP with other materials or to reducing the friction resistance of CFRP used in medical implants.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)20988-20996
Number of pages9
JournalACS Omega
Volume9
Issue number19
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 May 2024

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