Formation of nanoparticles during laser ablation of an iron target in a liquid

Formation of nanoparticles during laser ablation of a bulk iron target in water and isopropyl alcohol by pulsed near-IR laser radiation has been experimentally investigated. The experiments were performed using a 3-ns neodymium laser and a 100-ns ytterbium fibre laser. A size distribution function is obtained for the nanoparticles, which is peaking near 15 nm. The diffraction patterns of the nanoparticles exhibit pronounced peaks of metallic iron. An analysis of the nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy shows that in some cases they have a core — shell structure. The nanoparticles formed by laser ablation have pronounced magnetic properties. The absorption spectra of colloids with iron nanoparticles contain peaks, which presumably correspond to the electron plasmon resonance in these particles.