Impact of Chemical and Physical Properties of Organic Solvents on the Gas and Hydrogen Formation during Laser Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

AbstractLaser ablation in liquids has been established as a scalable preparation method of nanoparticles for various applications. Particularly for materials prone to oxidation, it is established to suppress oxidation by using organic solvents as a liquid medium. While this often functionalizes the nanoparticles with a carbon shell, the related chemical processes that result from laser‐induced decomposition reactions of the organic solvents remain uncertain. Using a systematic series of C6 solvents complemented by n‐pentane and n‐heptane during the nanosecond laser ablation of gold, the present study focuses on the solvent‐dependent influence on gas formation rates, nanoparticle productivity, and gas composition. Both the permanent gas and hydrogen formation was found to be linearly correlated with ablation rate, ΔHvap, and pyrolysis activation energy. Based on this, a decomposition pathway linked to pyrolysis is proposed allowing the deduction of first selection rules for solvents that influence the formation of carbon or permanent gases.