Synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles using varying Pulsed Laser Ablation Energies in Liquid

Abstract

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) find widespread applications in detectors, catalysis, optoelectronics, and medical devices, owing to their high surface-to-volume ratio and zero-dimensional confinement. Herein, ZnO NPs of different sizes were prepared via the pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method under energies of 70, 90, and 130 mJ. The morphology and structural properties of the synthesized NPs were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. With an increase in the pulsed laser energy, the size of the NPs decreased, resulting in a blue shift in the band gaps measured from the UV-vis absorption spectra.