The design of mesoporous carbon materials with controlled textural and structural features by rapid, cost-effective and eco-friendly means is highly demanded for many fields of applications. We report herein on the fast and tailored synthesis of mesoporous carbon by UV and IR laser assisted irradiations of a solution consisting of green phenolic resins and surfactant agent. By tailoring the UV laser parameters such as energy, pulse repetition rate or exposure time carbon materials with different pore size, architecture and wall thickness were obtained. By increasing irradiation dose, the mesopore size diminishes in the favor of wall thickness while the morphology shifts from worm-like to an ordered hexagonal one. This was related to the intensification of phenolic resin cross-linking which induces the reduction of H-bonding with the template as highlighted by 13C and 1H NMR. In addition, mesoporous carbon with graphitic structure was obtained by IR laser irradiation at room temperature and in very short time periods compared to the classical long thermal treatment at very high temperatures. Therefore, the carbon texture and structure can be tuned only by playing with laser parameters, without extra chemicals, as usually required.

In this work, we describe an eco-friendly and cost-efficient method for the production of highly dispersed few-layer graphene solutions using karaya gum as a bioinspired exfoliating agent. The as-synthesized graphene aqueous solutions can be easily applied on a cotton cloth through dip- or brush-coating, thanks to the interaction between the graphene sheets decorated with the gum and the functional groups on the cotton cloth host substrate surface. The as-prepared fabric composites display high mechanical stability, anchorage, and high electrical conductivity that make them excellent candidates within a relatively high number of technological applications. The study mainly focuses on the potentialities of cotton fabric composites as planar heating devices or electronic-textile (e-textile) circuits prepared by postlaser treatment. By means of a laser beam, local graphitization or partial etching of the graphene conductive lines can be achieved to generate conductive areas with different resistances, which can act as flexible and integrated electronic circuits. Besides lightweight conductive circuits, the graphene-coated cotton fabrics were experimentally tested for other technological applications, that is, as flexible metal-free markers or for IR shielding or as nonflammable barriers for the protection of sensitive devices or to prevent flame spreading. This technology allows one to open a new route toward the development of daily life connected and flexible e-textile devices of added value with low carbon footprint impact.

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Performances of thin film polycrystalline silicon solar cell grown on glass substrate, using solid phase crystallization of amorphous silicon can be limited by low dopant activation and high density of defects. Here, we investigate line shaped laser induced thermal annealing to passivate some of these defects in the sub-melt regime. Effect of laser power and scan speed on the open circuit voltage of the polysilicon solar cells is reported. The processing temperature was measured by thermal imaging camera. Enhancement of the open circuit voltage as high as 210% is achieved using this method. The results are discussed.

Laser processing applied to thin film silicon is an interesting approach for solar cell fabrication. In this work, we investigate the effects of a continuous wavelength (CW) laser irradiation in solid phase or liquid phase of silicon on the structural and electrical properties of thin film silicon layers. Thus, results on CW laser induced crystallisation (LIC) of ultrathin amorphous silicon, laser induced epitaxy (LIE) of a thick amorphous silicon on a seed silicon layer, and laser induced thermal annealing (LIA) of polycrystalline silicon films are presented and discussed.