Clay dispersion effects on excimer laser ablation of polymer–clay nanocomposites

The ablation behavior of polystyrene‐organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanocomposites was evaluated by measuring the weight loss induced by KrF excimer laser irradiation of the nanocomposite specimens under air atmosphere. The characteristic values of ablation, ablation threshold fluence, and effective absorption coefficient for polystyrene and its nanocomposites were calculated based on the weight loss data. The effects of morphology due to spatial variation in injection molded samples are also discussed in this article. Results demonstrate that both the dispersion state and the concentration of clay play important roles in excimer laser ablation. The sensitivity of threshold fluence and absorption coefficient to dispersion state of OMMT seem to depend on the clay concentration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2336–2344, 2013