Formation of core–shell Fe@Al nanoparticles by laser irradiation of a mixture of colloids in ethanol

The formation of Fe@Al nanoparticles, containing an iron core and an aluminium shell, under laser irradiation of a mixture of individual colloids of nanoparticle components in absolute ethanol has experimentally been investigated for the first time. A mixture of colloids was irradiated by a sequence of neodymium laser pulses with duration of 10 ns and repetition rate of 10 kHz. It is found that the size of the iron core of core–shell nanoparticles increases from the initial value of 8 nm to 20 nm under irradiation, whereas the aluminium shell size decreases from the initial value of 120 nm to 70 nm. The formation of core–shell nanoparticles is explained by the difference in the melting temperatures of the initial nanoparticles and the difference in the lattice parameters of their materials. The thus obtained core–shell nanoparticles retain ferromagnetic properties. Possible applications of these nanoparticles are discussed.