Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate

Abstract In this study, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is joined with fused silica using pulsed femtosecond laser transmission micro‐welding. This technique enables the welding of transparent materials to each other without the need for intermediate opaque layers, through localized energy deposition...

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Main Authors: Felice Alberto Sfregola, Raffaele De Palo, Caterina Gaudiuso, Pietro Patimisco, Antonio Ancona, Annalisa Volpe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2025-04-01
Series:Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400354
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author Felice Alberto Sfregola
Raffaele De Palo
Caterina Gaudiuso
Pietro Patimisco
Antonio Ancona
Annalisa Volpe
author_facet Felice Alberto Sfregola
Raffaele De Palo
Caterina Gaudiuso
Pietro Patimisco
Antonio Ancona
Annalisa Volpe
author_sort Felice Alberto Sfregola
collection DOAJ
description Abstract In this study, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is joined with fused silica using pulsed femtosecond laser transmission micro‐welding. This technique enables the welding of transparent materials to each other without the need for intermediate opaque layers, through localized energy deposition. The laser parameters – peak fluence, scanning speed, and hatch distance – are systematically optimized to maximize joint shear strength. The ATR‐FTIR spectroscopic analysis has proven that mechanical interlocking is the primary mechanism of joint formation between the two materials. An analytical model based on heat accumulation is developed to describe the joining process, with a good predictive quality confirmed by comparison with the experimental results. This joining approach is applied to seal a hybrid PMMA‐fused silica microfluidic chip. The device has successfully passed a static leakage test by withstanding pressures up to the full‐scale value of the employed microfluidic pump at 2 bar, demonstrating the effectiveness of femtosecond laser transmission welding for fabricating robust and reliable joints in hybrid microfluidic devices.
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issn 1438-7492
1439-2054
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publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Wiley-VCH
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series Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
spelling doaj-art-565a7dbec00a4e558bc2c81562605d6f2025-08-20T02:12:30ZengWiley-VCHMacromolecular Materials and Engineering1438-74921439-20542025-04-013104n/an/a10.1002/mame.202400354Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl MethacrylateFelice Alberto Sfregola0Raffaele De Palo1Caterina Gaudiuso2Pietro Patimisco3Antonio Ancona4Annalisa Volpe5Intercollegiate Department of Physics “M. Merlin” University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari Via G. Amendola 173 Bari 70125 ItalyIntercollegiate Department of Physics “M. Merlin” University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari Via G. Amendola 173 Bari 70125 ItalyInstitute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN) National Research Council (CNR) Via G. Amendola 173 Bari 70125 ItalyIntercollegiate Department of Physics “M. Merlin” University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari Via G. Amendola 173 Bari 70125 ItalyIntercollegiate Department of Physics “M. Merlin” University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari Via G. Amendola 173 Bari 70125 ItalyIntercollegiate Department of Physics “M. Merlin” University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari Via G. Amendola 173 Bari 70125 ItalyAbstract In this study, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is joined with fused silica using pulsed femtosecond laser transmission micro‐welding. This technique enables the welding of transparent materials to each other without the need for intermediate opaque layers, through localized energy deposition. The laser parameters – peak fluence, scanning speed, and hatch distance – are systematically optimized to maximize joint shear strength. The ATR‐FTIR spectroscopic analysis has proven that mechanical interlocking is the primary mechanism of joint formation between the two materials. An analytical model based on heat accumulation is developed to describe the joining process, with a good predictive quality confirmed by comparison with the experimental results. This joining approach is applied to seal a hybrid PMMA‐fused silica microfluidic chip. The device has successfully passed a static leakage test by withstanding pressures up to the full‐scale value of the employed microfluidic pump at 2 bar, demonstrating the effectiveness of femtosecond laser transmission welding for fabricating robust and reliable joints in hybrid microfluidic devices.https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400354femtosecond lasersfused silicalaser weldingmicrofluidicspolymethyl methacrylatetransmission welding
spellingShingle Felice Alberto Sfregola
Raffaele De Palo
Caterina Gaudiuso
Pietro Patimisco
Antonio Ancona
Annalisa Volpe
Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate
Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
femtosecond lasers
fused silica
laser welding
microfluidics
polymethyl methacrylate
transmission welding
title Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate
title_full Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate
title_fullStr Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate
title_full_unstemmed Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate
title_short Femtosecond Laser Transmission Joining of Fused Silica and Polymethyl Methacrylate
title_sort femtosecond laser transmission joining of fused silica and polymethyl methacrylate
topic femtosecond lasers
fused silica
laser welding
microfluidics
polymethyl methacrylate
transmission welding
url https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400354
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AT caterinagaudiuso femtosecondlasertransmissionjoiningoffusedsilicaandpolymethylmethacrylate
AT pietropatimisco femtosecondlasertransmissionjoiningoffusedsilicaandpolymethylmethacrylate
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