Hollow nanoparticle generation on laser-induced cavitation bubbles via bubble interface pinning

We report the self-assembly of ZnO(x) (0 <= x <= 1) (and permalloy) nanoclusters into hollow nanoparticles using pulsed laser ablation of bulk Zn (or permalloy) in ethanol-water binary mixture. The self-assembly is due to the trapping of laser-produced nanoclusters by the interfaces of cavitation bubbles and the bonding of the nanoclusters by capillary attraction. It was found that the bubbles generated in the mixture have significantly longer lifetimes compared to water alone, which provide an increasing chance to absorb diffusive nanoclusters. The mixture could be adjusted by adding viscous surfactant that makes the pulsed laser ablation in liquid a promising method for the discovery and fabrication of other hollow geometries. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3488003]