Laser-assisted fabrication and size distribution modification of colloidal gold nanostructures by nanosecond laser ablation in different liquids

This study presents results on pulsed laser ablation of gold target immersed in different liquids. In the experiments chloroform, toluene and ethanol are used as liquid media for the laser ablation. Two different wavelengths: the fundamental (1064 nm) and second harmonic (532 nm) of a Nd:YAG laser, are utilized to produce various colloids. The optical properties of the colloids were evaluated by optical transmittance measurements in the UV-Vis spectral range. The morphology of the colloidal nanoparticles created and the evaluation of their size distribution are investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The selected area electron diffraction is employed for chemical phase identification of the created nanostructures. Ablation in chloroform resulted in formation of spherical and spheroidal gold nanoparticles with the similar mean size at both laser wavelengths used-11.5 nm at 1064 and 9.3 nm at 532 nm. Nanoparticles with smaller mean size (below 5 nm) in the case of ablation in toluene were observed. Spherical nanoparticles with mean diameter of 7.7 nm produced by 1064 nm and thin elongated nanostructures with thickness of about 5 nm using 532 nm are observed in the case of ablation in ethanol. An additional laser irradiation of the colloids demonstrated the changing of the optical properties and size distribution of the nanostructures produced by ablation in ethanol and chloroform. The irradiation of toluene-based colloid does not induce observable change of the colloid properties.