Synthesis of nanofiber-filled polydimethylsiloxane using ultrafast laser irradiation

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.