Picosecond laser induced fragmentation of coarse Cu2O particles into nanoparticles in liquid media

Micron sized cuprous oxide (Cu2O) particles are easily fragmented into nanosized (5-10 nm) particles using picosecond (ps) laser (wavelength = 532 nm) pulses. The coarse Cu2O particles are first synthesized by reducing copper chloride with the aid of honey. These particles are then dispersed in liquid media (double distilled water or ethanol) and exposed to ps laser pulses to obtain well-dispersed nanosized Cu2O particles. By using this method of fragmentation, morphology of the particles can be altered while retaining their crystal structure. The innate nature of this method allows continuous production of nanoparticles from coarser particles.