Laser ablation-based synthesis of functionalized colloidal nanomaterials in biocompatible solutions

An overview of experimental results related to the femtosecond laser ablation-based nanofabrication in aqueous biocompatible solutions is presented. The method makes possible the production of stable metal nanoparticle colloids with extremely small size (down to 2-2.5 nm) and size dispersion (down to 1-1.5 nm). Being prepared in the absence of toxic by-products in biologically-friendly environment, the nanoparticles exhibit unique surface chemistry and can be linked to different species (oligosaccharides, biopolymers, etc.). The nanoparticles promise a solution of toxicity problem, typical for nanomaterials synthesized by pure chemical routes, and can be used in biosensing and imaging applications. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.