Optimization of gold and silver nanoparticles production by laser ablation in deionized water

Abstract

Colloidal solutions of gold and silver nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 6 ns, 1 Hz ) ablation. Gold and silver bars were immersed in deionized water and irradiated by laser pulses for 4 min. The laser fluence was verified within the range of 21 – 39 J/cm2 with a fixed beam diameter of 1.6 mm. The effect of laser pulse fluence on both size and ablation efficiency of gold and silver nanoparticles were studied. The optical spectral characterization and morphological analysis of these nanoparticles were carried out by UV-Vis spectrophotometer and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The average particle size for Au and Ag are 38.0 ± 10.3 nm and 31.3 ± 10.5 nm at corresponding optimized laser fluence of 31 and 25 Jcm-2 respectively.