Direct Writing of graphene/graphitic foam through picosecond pulsed laser-induced transformation of soluble polyimide suspension

We report the direct writing of graphene/graphitic foam with high electrical conductivity using laser-induced-transformation of polyimide (PI) resin films on glass surfaces. Raman spectroscopy of the treated surfaces indicated that average laser power irradiation between 900 and 1500 kW/cm² transformed the PI film into a few layered graphene-dominated film, and the increase in irradiation power above 1500 kW/cm² led to the formation of graphitic (multilayered graphene) material. The electrical conductivity of the transformed film was between 5800±750 S m^-1 (lower power irradiation) and 1250±300 S m^-1 (higher laser power irradiation). SEM imaging showed that the transformed material has a closed cell foam morphology enclosed between the smooth top and bottom layers. The results indicate that heat treatment of the polyimide suspension films, and subsequent ultra-short, pulsed laser irradiation resulted in a closed-cell graphene/graphitic foam with high electrical conductivity. The pore aspect ratio, density, and film conductivity are used to estimate the conductivity of the solid phases in the laser-treated films at different powers. Laser-induced transformation of the PI suspension into graphene/graphitic foam is conducive to additive manufacturing and may enable the direct printing of graphitic foam-based three-dimensional components.