Laboratory of Physico-chemical processes in the energy sector

Another important area of research in the laboratory is laser texturing of solids, a process that allows the formation of stable micro— and nanostructures on the surface of materials with specified properties. Using nanosecond laser pulses, regular microtextures are formed on the surface of semiconductors and metals, which can be further modified by chemical treatment and deposition of coatings. The control of texturing parameters — energy density, scanning speed, processing atmosphere — allows reproducibly obtaining surfaces with different topography and functional properties: from superhydrophilic to anisotropic and biphilic. Such structures have an increased surface area, an increased number of active nucleation centers, and the ability to control fluid movement in a targeted manner. Laser processing allows you to change not only the geometry of the surface, but also its composition, creating gradients or combined functional zones. The obtained structures are used in the tasks of heat sink control, enhancement of boiling processes, drip cooling, as well as in sensorics and microfluidics. These studies show that even minor morphological changes (nanoporosity, taper, and the presence of coatings) significantly affect the characteristics of heat and mass transfer and wetting.

The laboratory is also developing the field of laser additive technologies based on local deposition of metals using laser radiation. In the case of laser deposition from the gas phase (LCVD), precursors activated by a focused beam are used, which makes it possible to grow metal microstructures of various shapes (Cu, Ag, W, etc.) on substrates with high precision. The laboratory also implements methods of deposition from the liquid phase by laser action on solutions, initiating photolytic or pyrolytic decomposition in the vicinity of the substrate surface. This makes it possible to obtain three-dimensional metal structures of any geometry at high speed. The method provides an opportunity to use different materials, as well as their combinations. Such technologies are promising for microelectronics, biosensors, the creation of electrodes and thin-film circuits.

One of the laboratory's priority research areas is the development of laser synthesis technologies for transparent metal electrodes used in flexible OLED arrays and other elements of modern electronics. As part of this work, for the first time in the world, transparent gold electrodes with a thickness of only 5 nanometers were obtained in the laboratory, which have record values of light transmission, electrical conductivity and Q-factor. The unique synthesis technology is based on the laser transfer of material from the surface of a gold plate to a substrate under the action of powerful nanosecond laser pulses. As a result of irradiation, the target material evaporates, after which it is gas-dynamically transported in a rarefied background gas environment and deposited on a substrate, forming a thin transparent electrode with high uniformity and stability.