A highly soluble Au(I) gold precursor is used to produce a nanocomposite material
consisting of a polystyrene matrix and gold nanoparticles. Irradiation
of such a material with nanosecond laser pulses at the plasmon
resonance wavelength leads to the formation of black spots containing
luminescent products of carbonization. HR TEM analysis and Raman
spectroscopy confirm disordered carbon. A simple model, based on laser
heating of a nanoparticle to a temperature of more than 2000 K
and stabilization of this temperature by the endothermic process of
polystyrene carbonization, fits well with the dependence of the
luminescent signal increment on the laser fluence.