Laser effects induced on ultra-high-molecular weight polyethylene

Ultra-high-molecular weight (UHMWPE) is a versatile polymer employed in many fields for its good chemical-physics characteristics. In this work the laser irradiation has been utilized to modify the morphology of the polymer in order to improve the polymer hydrophilicity. Contact angle measurements have been performed on the processed samples to study the water wettability changing before and after laser treatment. Two different laser lights have been used: a pulsed KrF excimer laser of 248 nm wavelength and a pulsed XeCl excimer laser of 308 nm wavelength. The sample processing was performed applying different laser shots in atmosphere and approximately the same laser fluence for the both laser wavelengths. Interesting results have been found about the samples treated by the XeCl laser, i.e a linearly decreasing of the water drop contact angle with the increasing of the number of laser shots.