Mostafa Bedewy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Laser writing of functional nanocarbon has emerged as a powerful route for rapid, maskless fabrication of devices; however, most demonstrations rely on uniform processing conditions that limit spatial functionality and application breadth. In this invited talk, I will present a process-science framework for using spatial and temporal laser parameters as local control knobs to program spatially varying morphology, chemistry, wettability, electrical, and electrochemical properties within a single, continuous architecture on flexible substrates. Rather than treating laser-induced graphene (LIG) as a fixed material, our work views it as a tunable outcome of coupled thermal, chemical, and kinetic processes that can be engineered through beam delivery and scan strategy. First, I will show how spatial modulation of laser dose, achieved through controlled defocus and multi-pass irradiation, enables adjacent LIG regions with similar morphology but sharply contrasting electrical resistivity and surface energy. This capability allows a single laser-written structure to simultaneously function as pump-free microfluidic channels driven by wettability gradients, programmable Joule heaters with large local temperature contrasts under a single bias, and thermochromic displays in which pixels are addressed through resistivity encoded directly in the material. Finite-element modeling linked to experimental measurements enable tailoring these spatially resolved electrothermal properties. Second, I will discuss process-based routes for tailoring 3D porous graphene chemistry and electrochemical performance without post-processing. Sequential laser irradiation (“re-lasing”) provides kinetic access to enhanced graphitization and reduced impedance by decoupling carbonization and structural reorganization. Moreover, I will should how heteroatom incorporation can be modulated by combining molecular engineering of the precursor with laser-controlled reaction pathways to tune surface chemistry and functionality. These strategies enable order-of-magnitude improvements in electrochemical impedance and electrochemical detection of nanomolar concentrations of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Finally, I will briefly highlight how laser-induced surface texturing and chemistry control can be combined to produce superhydrophobic and parahydrophobic surfaces, enabling droplet pick-and-place application, which further illustrates the versatility of process-driven property programming. Together, these examples demonstrate how laser processing can serve as a unifying manufacturing platform for creating multifunctional nanocarbons-based flexible and wearable devices, where application-specific performance emerges directly from spatiotemporal control of laser-matter interactions rather than by complex multi-material integration or challenging multi-step processing.