Processing conditions in pulsed laser ablation of gold in liquid for fabrication of nanowire networks

The experimental conditions were investigated enabling one to fabricate Au nanowire networks by pulsed laser ablation in water. The study revealed that it is possible to produce alternatively nanoparticles (or aggregates) or nanowire networks at certain wavelengths depending on the laser fluence. An Au disc immersed in double-distilled water was used as a target. The second (λSHG = 532 nm) and the third (λTHG = 355 nm) harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser system were utilized to produce different Au colloids. The values of the laser fluence for both wavelengths under the experimental conditions chosen were varied from several J/cm2 to tens of J/cm2. The optical extinction spectra of the colloids in the UV/vis region were obtained to evaluate the structure of the dispersed Au phase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was applied to visualize the size and morphology of the colloidal particles. Their structure and phase composition were studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and used to make an assumption on how they had been formed.