Fragmentation of colloidal nanoparticles by femtosecond laser-induced supercontinuum generation

A femtosecond laser-based method to control the size characteristics of gold colloidal nanoparticles is reported. The method uses the supercontinuum generation produced through a strong nonlinear-optical interaction of the femtosecond radiation with a liquid to fragment relatively large colloids and reduce their agglomeration. The fragmented species then recoalesce to form smaller, less dispersed, and much more stable nanoparticles in the solution. The size of the nanoparticles after the treatment is independent of the initial characteristics of colloids, but depends strongly on laser parameters and on the presence of chemically active species in the solution. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.