Laser mediated fusing of paper materials

This paper presents the results of fundamental studies on the interaction of laser radiation with classical paper materials regarding the melting of the main paper components cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Different papers were irradiated with the laser radiation of a carbon monoxide (CO) laser. Fluence-dependent interaction regimes, the dynamics of the flash pyrolysis and chemical changes due to irradiation are discussed. Using a high-speed camera, a liquid intermediate state could be observed as a result of the irradiation. This is decomposed into gaseous reaction products by a highly dynamic boiling process. In addition to the time resolved investigations, extensive FTIR studies were performed.