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Synthesis of nanofiber-filled polydimethylsiloxane using ultrafast laser irradiation

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Abstract

In this article, we report the filling of polydimethylsilioxane (PDMS) with nanofibers using femtosecond laser of MHz pulse frequency under ambient conditions. Nanoscale fibrous structure was created by femtosecond laser ablation of silicon. The generated silicon nanofiber was dispersed into PDMS resin. A site-specific curing of PDMS induced by direct laser irradiation results in nanofiber-reinforced polymer. The proposed technique permits single-step curing and is capable of fabricating microscale structures. No additives are used in developing the polymer nanocomposite. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the dispersion of filler (nanofiber) in PDMS matrix.

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Acknowledgement

This research work is funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada. We are grateful to CSM Instruments for the nanoindentation test.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Krishnan Venkatakrishnan

  2. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Hamsapriya Selvaraj & Bo Tan

Authors
  1. Hamsapriya Selvaraj
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  2. Bo Tan
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  3. Krishnan Venkatakrishnan
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Correspondence to Bo Tan.

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Selvaraj, H., Tan, B. & Venkatakrishnan, K. Synthesis of nanofiber-filled polydimethylsiloxane using ultrafast laser irradiation. J Polym Res 18, 1659–1665 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-011-9571-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-011-9571-0

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