Temperature measurement and morphological/crystalline differences in the laser-induced carbonization of polydimethylsiloxane

Laser-induced carbonization, which allows for the facile generation of graphitic carbon, is considered a promising technique for fabricating arbitrary conductive microstructures. The morphology and crystallinity of the resulting product are acknowledged to be significantly influenced by laser irradiation conditions. However, unlike discussions pertaining to furnaces where detailed considerations of applied temperature and resulting products are common, discussions on the process of laser-induced carbonization are limited. In recent years, reports have shown that using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a precursor material not only produces graphitic carbon but also results in the formation of silicon carbide. In this study, we utilized a thermographic camera to measure temperature changes during laser-induced carbonization, aiming to elucidate the correlation between PDMS temperature fluctuations and the morphology and crystallinity of the resulting graphitic carbon. The results demonstrate that the morphology and crystallinity of the graphitic carbon formed through laser-induced carbonization are not solely determined by the maximum temperature in the laser-irradiated area. The temperature changes during laser irradiation play a crucial role in the selective generation of these materials.