Fabrication of gold nanoparticles in intense optical field by femtosecond laser irradiation of aqueous solution

Abstract

Gold particles were fabricated by the high-intensity femtosecond laser irradiation of gold (III) chloride trihydrate (HAuCl4) aqueous solution. The structure and size distribution of the prepared particles were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. The configuration of the gold particles varied with the concentration of the HAuCl4 aqueous solution. The mean particle size and size distribution were changed by the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which acted as a dispersant, and monodispersed gold nanoparticles with a diameter of about 3 nm were successfully fabricated. The formation process of the nanoparticles is discussed in terms of the optical decomposition of molecules in the highly intense optical field generated by femtosecond laser irradiation.

Elucidating Strong Field Photochemical Reduction Mechanisms of Aqueous [AuCl4]−: Kinetics of Multiphoton Photolysis and Radical-Mediated Reduction

“…The previously proposed mechanism of radical-mediated nucleation [26][27][28]34 has been shown to exhibit zeroth-order kinetics with respect to [AuCl 4 ] − under acidic conditions due to the limited production of reactive radical species from water photolysis. The additional…”

Electrochemical Water Oxidation Catalysed by CoO‐Co2O3‐Co(OH)2 Multiphase‐Nanoparticles Prepared by Femtosecond Laser Ablation in Water

“…In contrast, the laser ablation of a metal target in liquid results in chemical reactions, that form oxide particles . Femtosecond laser irradiation also induces multi‐photon processes, that can decompose water . Following water decomposition and size reduction of the Co–CoO particles with the formation of oxygen vacancies, chemical reactions most likely take place to produce CoO(OH) and Co(OH) 2 due to reactions between Co–CoO submicron particles and water molecules or ions in the water.…”

Spectroscopic monitoring on irradiation-induced formation of AuAg alloy nanoparticles by femtosecond laser

“…By recording the changes in the absorbance as the reaction time increases, the kinetic change in the solution can be followed to reveal the formation stages in the nanoparticles synthesis. We have demonstrated that the femtosecond laser can be used to synthesize pure Au [6], Ag [7] nanoparticles and their multi-component system (binary and ternary) via reduction process of the corresponding metal ion solutions [8,9]. The reduction process is governed by solvated electrons and hydrogen radicals as reducing species generated through the multiphoton excitation and ionization of solvent molecules by femtosecond laser [10].…”