Solution viscosity adjustable phloroglucinolcarboxylic acid/formaldehyde applied in extremely thin shell fusion target fabrication

Capsuliform fusion target was prepared by using the OO/W/OI emulsion process. Phloroglucinolcarboxylic acid / formaldehyde (PF) is expected to be used as the water phase (W) solution which then gelates to be the shell of the capsule. The density of the shell should be low to obtain high laser gain. Phloroglucinolcarboxylic acid had addition and condensation reaction with formaldehyde under basic condition to form linear polymer first. The nano-scale linear polymers were then linked via noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, van der Waals, to continue the gelation process. The type and amount of the base catalyst used in the reaction can affect the polymerization of PF, including the gelation rate and gelation concentration. By changing the basic condition of the reaction, the proper viscosity of 9×10−5 for capsuliform target fabrication was reached and extremely thin gel shell thickness of 17μm with low polymer concentration of 26.3mg/cm3 was obtained.