Laser ablation of polypropylene films using nanosecond, picosecond, and femtosecond laser

Precise micropatterning of polypropylene film, which is highly transparent in the wavelength range over 250 nm has been demonstrated by 355 nm nano/picosecond laser and 785 nm femto-second laser. Increments of both the pulse energy and the shot number of pulses lead to co-occurrence of photochemical and thermal effects, demonstrated by the spatial expansion of rim on the surface of PP. The shapes of the laser-ablated polypropylene films were imaged by optical microscope and measured by a 3D optical measurement system. And, the ablation depth and width of polypropylene film ablated by femtosecond laser at various pulse energy and pulse number were characterized. Our results demonstrate that a femtosecond pulsed laser is an efficient tool for fabricating micropatterns of polypropylene films, where the micropatterns are specifically tailored in size, location and number easily controlled by laser processing conditions.