Standalone carbon nanotube films with patterned surface array structures for enhanced photothermal property

• Published in: Materials letters 2025-03, Vol.383, p.137989, Article 137989
• Main Authors: Li, Jie, Li, Keding, Wang, Yaozhi, Jing, Wei, Zhang, Yong, Zhang, Renxin, Qin, Xilong, Zhou, Ding, Zhang, Long
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CNT Films; Laser Etching; Laser Ignition; Photothermal Materials; Surface modification
• ISSN: 0167-577X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.137989

[Display omitted] •Thin film surface modification by laser marking and etching technology.•Design freestanding carbon nanotube films with unique patterned array structures.•Light absorption performance increased by 30 % vs. the original CNT film.•The film’s max temp increase is 258 % greater than the original CNT film.•CNT film photothermal properties correlate positively with the etching area ratio. Photothermal materials have been widely used for laser ignition. The optimization of the photothermal materials was primarily centered on modifying the elemental composition to improve the energy output after light irradiation. Here we designed a cost-effective and efficient method to facilitate the widespread adoption of the photothermal materials for enhanced laser ignition. Standalone carbon nanotube (CNT) films with diverse patterned array structures through laser marking and etching were designed and fabricated by programmed laser etching, while the influence of laser etching power, model, and density on the photothermal performance was fully investigated. The modified CNT films with optimized surface structures exhibited much higher light absorption and thus better photothermal performance than that for the original CNT films. Under the same pulsed laser power of 0.7 W, the maximum temperature rise for the optimized CNT films was 484 °C, which was 258 % higher than that for the pristine CNT film. The mechanism for the superior performance was revealed as the enhanced light absorption due to the largely increased surface area due to the patterned array structure. This innovative approach enables low initial energy photothermal ignition, paving the way for the development of high-performance materials for laser photothermal energy transfer.