Laser fragmentation in liquid medium: A new way for the synthesis of PbTe nanoparticles

Synthesis of PbTe nanoparticles has been performed by pulsed laser fragmentation of PbTe micron-sized powders in distilled water with a Nd:YAG laser. The influence of various experimental parameters (wavelength, treatment duration, and output energy) on the yield of fragmentation, the size and the crystallographic structure of the nanoparticles produced has been investigated. Characterization of the nanopowders was performed by X-ray diffraction analyses and transmission electron microscopy observations. Thanks to a careful control of the synthesis parameters, PbTe nanoparticles with an average diameter close to 6 nm and exhibiting a sharp distribution in size have been produced.

Graphical abstractA laser fragmentation technique was used to prepare lead telluride nanoparticles. Various experimental parameters were investigated and their influence on particle size, size distribution and cristallographic structure is discussed.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (80 K)Download as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights► Laser fragmentation an effective method to produce nanoparticles in water. ► Few seconds are enough to synthesize PbTe nanoparticles (6 nm). ► No change in the cristallographic structure after short irradiation duration.