Enhanced local controllable laser patterning of polymers induced by graphene/polystyrene composites

To achieve an enhanced local controllable laser patterning for polymers, the composite powder of graphene/polystyrene was successfully designed and prepared. The design idea of this composite was inspired by the p-p stacking (interaction) between aromatic rings of polystyrene (PS) and basal planes of graphene. Compared with pure graphene, the results showed that only 0.0038 wt% (38 ppm) of the graphene/PS composite powder endowed polymers with an enhanced laser patterning performance. The results of SEM revealed that many spherical PS particles (340-370 nm) were tightly adsorbed to the surface of graphene via p-p stacking, serving as the isolating substance to successfully prevent the graphene re-agglomeration. Both XPS and micro-Raman spectroscopy observed that, after irradiation of 1064 nm near infrared (NIR) pulsed laser, the carbonization degree of polymer using the composite powder of graphene/PS was much higher than that of only using pure graphene. This far higher degree of carbonization was contributed from the dual role of the local carbonization of PS particles in the composite and the good dispersity of the composite powder, resulting in a much better contrast to the patterns. Importantly, after using this new composite powder, the defect in patterns caused by graphene agglomeration also no longer existed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.