Formation and control of Au and Ag nanoparticles inside borate glasses using femtosecond laser and heat treatment

We report the spectroscopic properties of femtosecond laser-irradiated sodium-alumino-borate glass doped with silver and gold ions. We precipitated gold and silver nanoparticles by laser irradiation and annealing at 400 degrees C for 30 min. The irradiation and annealing treatment produced different absorption and emission characteristics in Au3+ doped and Au3+, Ag+ codoped glasses, and the possible mechanisms of the observed results are discussed. The size of the nanoparticles was estimated by TEM and absorption band analysis.