Laser-assisted synthesis of Ag–Cu alloy nanoparticles with tunable surface plasmon resonance frequency in presence of external electric field

Abstract

The present study aimed to synthesize the colloidal Ag–Cu alloy nanoparticles (NPs) in the presence of an external electric field. Synthesis of Ag–Cu alloy NPs is important because of their unique properties for antibacterial and antimicrobial activities. Colloidal Ag and Cu NPs were produced individually with nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in distilled water and were mixed in equal volume. The mixed colloid was postirradiated in the presence of an external DC electric field. The obtained colloidal NPs were characterized using various diagnostic methods. The results of this study demonstrated the long-term stability and oxidation resistance of colloidal Ag–Cu alloy NPs compared to the Ag and Cu NPs. Also, the results of this study showed that the external electric field reduces the average size of alloy NPs, and tune the surface plasmon resonance frequency.

Synergistic influence of external electric field on laser ablation in liquid: correlating nanoparticle synthesis and cavitation bubble dynamics

“…The size of NPs decreases significantly in the presence of electric field. This decrease in presence of 100 V cm −1 is in agreement with other reports applying 100 V cm −1 electric field [38,39]. These articles also report significant reduction in size of NPs.…”

Synergistic antibacterial mechanism of silver-copper bimetallic nanoparticles

“…The formation of Ag-Cu NPs reduces oxygen ingress, resulting in a more stable structure compared to monometallic conditions, allowing for slow ion release, both favorable for synergistic interactions between the two metals ( Cruces et al, 2022 ). Ahmadinejad et al investigated the aging of synthesized Ag-Cu alloy nanoparticles and found them to be more stable than pure Cu nanoparticles, attributing this stability to the protective effect of a thin Ag shell ( Ahmadinejad and Mahdieh, 2022 ). Similarly, Tsai demonstrated, through experiments, that the formation temperature of Cu oxide in Ag-Cu NPs is at least 150°C higher than in similarly sized pure Cu nanoparticles, owing to the protective role of the thin Ag shell ( Tsai et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Recently, Ahmadinejad discovered a correlation between the presence and intensity of an applied electric field and the size and stability of Ag-Cu alloy NPs. Under appropriate field strength, Ag-Cu NPs become increasingly stable with increasing field intensity, providing theoretical support for new development strategies ( Ahmadinejad and Mahdieh, 2022 ). Furthermore, studies on the addition of stabilizers such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been reported to enhance stability ( Zhu et al, 2021 ).…”