Laser micromachining of magnetoactive elastomers as enabling technology for magnetoresponsive surfaces

Kravanja, Gaia (author), Belyaeva, Inna A. (author), Hribar, Luka (author), Drevenšek Olenik, Irena (author), Shamonin, Mikhail (author), Jezeršek, Matija (author)

A simple method for structuring of the surface of a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) on the tens of micrometers scale, which capabilities extend beyond conventional mold-based polymer casting, is reported. The method relies on the ablation of the material by absorption of nanosecond infrared pulses from a commercial laser. It is shown that it is possible to fabricate parallel lamellar structures with a high aspect ratio (up to 6:1) as well as structures with complex scanning trajectories. The method is fast (fabrication time for the 7 × 7 mm$^2$ is about 60 s), and the results are highly reproducible. To illustrate the capabilities of the fabrication method, both orthogonal to the MAE surface and tilted lamellar structures are fabricated. These magnetosensitive lamellae can be easily bent by ±45° using an external magnetic field of about 230 mT. It is demonstrated that this bending allows one to control the sliding angle of water droplets in a great range between a sticky (>90°) and a sliding state (<20°). Perspectives on employing this fabrication technology for magnetosensitive smart surfaces in microfluidic devices and soft robotics are discussed.

• Language: English
• Keywords: magnetoactive elastomers, wettability, laser structuring, laser micromachining, magnetically responsive structure, tunable wettability
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 8 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 7, iss. 5, art. 2101045
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-145561
• UDC: 620.3
• ISSN on article: 2365-709X
• DOI: 10.1002/admt.202101045
• COBISS.SI-ID: 81234691
• Publication date in RUL: 21.04.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Advanced materials technologies
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 2365-709X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 31843367

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: magnetoaktivni elastomeri, omočljivost, lasersko strukturiranje