Synthesis of Si/SiO2 nanoparticles using nanosecond laser ablation of silicate-rich garnet in water

During the nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of naturally occurring garnet in water, silicon and silicon dioxide nanoparticles are synthesized. These nanoparticles have an average size of 25 nm and 23 nm when the target is ablated for 20 and 30 min, respectively. The synthesized silicon nanoparticles are crystalline in nature and have cubic structure with 3.0 Å interplanar distance. The effects of laser ablation time on the yield of synthesized nanoparticles in the solution are investigated and it is observed that the optimum ablation time of 20 min is required for the efficient synthesis of silicon nanoparticles while operating at an input pulse energy of 90 mJ. We also report the elemental analysis of the garnet using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy.