Rapid and convenient preparation of small-sized metal nanoparticles using microchip lasers

Liquid pulse laser ablation is a reliable and versatile technique for producing metal nanoparticles in solution. Its advantages include no reducing agent, simple operation, high purity, no need for purification steps, and environmental processing conditions, making it the preferred method for traditional metal NP preparation.

The widespread adoption of PLAL in scientific and industrial research has demonstrated its practicality. However, the size and maintenance cost of traditional laser sources pose significant challenges for laboratories, especially those that are not specialized in laser science.

Recognizing these obstacles, Professor Yinghong Sakurai and Professor Yumi Yayama from Osaka University, along with their team, turned their attention to microchip laser systems. MCL, developed by the Taira team at the Institute of Molecular Science, is a compact, low-power giant pulse laser system with a cavity length of less than 10 mm, making it ideal for standard organic synthesis laboratories.

Although MCL has size advantages, the applicability of its specifications to gold target PLAL is still unclear. The research team aims to understand how differences in instrument specifications affect the results of gold PLAL, with the aim of further promoting desktop synthesis and direct application of NPs for catalytic purposes.

In a study published in the Journal of Industrial Chemistry and Materials, the team used MCL to study the PLAL of gold, focusing on the effects of small laser pulse energy, short pulse duration, and low repetition frequency on ablation efficiency. The results indicate that although the pulse energy of MCL is much smaller compared to traditional high-power lasers, it exhibits relatively higher ablation efficiency.

"Our research provides new insights into the preparation of Au NPs using compact MCL systems. Importantly, it opens up avenues for developing new catalytic reactions in standard synthetic chemistry laboratories for highly reactive NPs directly prepared using MCL," said Sakurai.

The research team includes Barana Sandakelum Hettiaracchi, Yusuke Takaoka, Yuta Uetake, Yumi Yakiyama and Mihoko Maruyama, Yusuke Mori, Hiroshi Y. Yoshikawa and Hidehiro Sakurai from Osaka University; And Hwan Hong Lim and Takunori Taira from the Institute of Molecular Science.

Source: Laser Net