Synthesis of titanium oxide nanoparticles by Ytterbium fiber laser ablation

Nanosized titanium particles have recently received a special attention due to their applications in many different fields, such as catalysis, biomedical engineering, etc. Pulsed laser ablation in liquid media allows obtaining metallic and metallic oxide nanoparticles in colloids. This technique has been used in the present work to prepare titanium colloids from a solid piece immersed in liquid media. A monomode Ytterbium doped fiber laser has been focused onto the upper surface of the titanium target in de-ionized water or ethanol. Crystalline phases, morphology and optical properties of the obtained colloidal nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, and UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy. The produced titanium oxide crystalline nanoparticles show spherical shape and are polycrystalline, exhibiting anatase as well as rutile phases. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.