Open Access

ARTICLE

Polystyrene-Grafted Molybdenum Disulfide Filled Polypropylene Composites for Enhanced Laser Marking Performance

Minglei Hu¹, Wei Zhang¹, Bin Hu¹, Haicun Yang², Fuqiang Chu², Zheng Cao^2,*

1 Nuclear Power Operation Management Co., Ltd., CNNC, Haiyan, 314300, China
2 Key Laboratory of Environmental Friendly Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Changzhou University, Changzhou, 213164, China

* Corresponding Author: Zheng Cao. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advanced Modification Methods for Polymers)

Journal of Polymer Materials 2025, 42(4), 1125-1141. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2025.073300

Received 15 September 2025; Accepted 25 November 2025; Issue published 26 December 2025

Abstract

Polypropylene (PP) has low inherent susceptibility to common industrial lasers, which poses a significant challenge for laser-based marking. To improve the laser sensitivity of PP, molybdenum disulfide grafted with polystyrene (MoS₂-g-PS) was synthesized via in-situ free radical polymerization and used as a laser-sensitive filler for PP composites prepared by melt blending. The composites were then marked with a 1064 nm semiconductor laser, producing clear and legible patterns. The marked surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), colorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results demonstrate that the PP/MoS₂-g-PS composites exhibit significantly improved laser markability compared to both pure PP and PP/MoS₂ composites, yielding superior marking quality. When the MoS₂-g-PS content was 0.02 wt% and the laser current intensity was 11 A, a clearly recognizable QR code pattern was obtained with high resolution and legibility. The mechanism of laser-induced marking on the PP/MoS₂-g-PS composites involves efficient absorption of near-infrared (NIR) laser energy and photothermal conversion by the MoS₂ core, while the surrounding PS layer carbonizes upon laser irradiation. The synergistic effect between MoS₂ and PS effectively enhance the laser marking performance of PP.

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Keywords

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