Controlled modification of surface wettability of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was achieved by irradiation of PMMA surface with femtosecond laser pulses at various laser fluences and focus distances. Fluences from 0.40 to 2.1 J/cm2 produced a hydrophobic surface and 2.1 to 52.7 J/cm2 (maximum investigated) produced a hydrophilic surface. Fluences less than 0.31 J/cm2 had no effect on the wettability of the raw PMMA. This change in wettability was caused dominantly by laser induced chemical structure modification and not by a change in surface roughness.
The modification of polymer surface wettability is receiving increasing interest in recent years. As surface wettability affects the flowing resistance, and thus the separation ratio and/or mixing ratio of samples in different microchannels, the controlled modification of surface wettability is highly desirable. In this study, microfluidic channels with controlled surface wettability were achieved and fabricated using femtosecond (fs) laser direct ablation of polymethyl methacrylate at various fluences. Varied flow velocities and separation ratio of water in microfluidic channels have been successfully obtained through fs laserinduced modification in wetting characteristics of the microchannel surfaces. A concave flow front was observed in a microchannel with hydrophilic surface. Correspondingly, a convex flow front was observed with hydrophobic surface. For an untreated channel, a straight flow front was observed. These results would be attractive for various microfluidic chip applications, such as control of the reagent reaction through controlling liquid medium separation or control of mixing ratio in different channels.
The study investigates the use of CO 2 laser to induce glass strip peeling off to form microchannels on soda lime gass substrate. The strip peeling exhibits a strong dependence on the energy deposition rate on the glass surface. In spite of the vast difference in the combination of laser power and scanning speed, when the ratio of the two makes the energy deposition rate in the range 3.0-6.0 J/(cm 2 s), the temperature rising inside glass will be above the strain point and reach the softening region of the glass. As a result, glass strip peeling is able to occur and form microchannels with dimensions of 20-40 lm in depth and 200-280 lm in width on the glass surface. Beyond this range, higher energy depsotion rate would lead to surface melting associated with solidification cracks and lower energy deposition rate causes the generation of fragment cracks.
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