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This paper investigates the preparation of composite metal-polymer nanostructures formed on the surface of polyethersulfone (PES) by an excimer laser beam. Conditions for laser beam modification varied with the laser fluence of 4-28 mJ·cm−2 and number of pulses up to 6000. The samples were further deposited with a layer of metals Ag, Au, Pd and Pt with a thickness of 5-20 nm and their surface morphology was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Electrical properties of layers were also investigated and for optical properties UV-Vis spectroscopy was used. Composites prepared by this approach were studied further for stability under laser modification. Surface morphology measurement revealed creation of laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) in forms of nanoripples after modification with laser fluence value of 8 mJ·cm−2 and nanodots after modification with laser fluence value of 16 mJ·cm−2. It has been found that metal layer deposition of the surface leads to formation of isolated clusters. Those metallized with the treatment of laser fluence 8 mJ∙cm-2, preferably aggregated on the ridge of the ripples and their electrical continuity was further examined. The nanostructured surfaces may be used as antibacterial material, also with potential to guide the specific types of cells, such are e.g. osteoblasts.
Keywords: Excimer laser, polymer, surface morphology, nanostructure, composite© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.