Ni nanoparticles fabricated by laser ablation in water

Nickel nanoparticles were fabricated by ablating a bulk Ni target with pulsed 337-nm laser radiation in distilled water. Transmission electron microscope images of the removed material show spherical particles with two size scales: tens of nm and hundreds of nm. Phase explosion and Rayleigh-Plateau hydrodynamic instability are suggested as being responsible for this distribution. An X-ray diffraction pattern of the ablated material demonstrates the presence of both nickel and nickel oxide.