Development of Plastic Ablators for Laser Driven HEDP Experiments

Plastic ablators are vital components in many laser driven HEDP experiments. Polystyrene in particular is of interest because of its efficient laser coupling and elemental composition. Spin coating is a flexible technique that can produce a range of thicknesses, and doped mixtures. The material properties of these spin cast films depend on several factors including molecular weight, concentration, solvents, and post processing. The effects of these factors were studied in order to minimize void content, maximize material strength, and allow for the repeatable production of quality films for use in laser driven experiments. During development we were also able to demonstrate nanoparticle dopants at high concentrations near 50% by weight. X-ray diffraction spectra of these doped foils were collected to determine the size of the inclusions and the purity of the films. These foils have gone on to be deployed for campaigns at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.