Nanojoining and reshaping metal nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation

Size and shape as well as the joining capabilities of metal nanoparticles play a key role in most of their technological applications because they determine their optical and electrical properties in as well as their interaction with molecules in the surroundings.
In liquid laser generation of metal nanoparticles have the advantage to grow ligand-free and high purity colloids and explore new reactive paths but fails to control shape, size and distribution.
In this talk we propose a number of protocols suitable to overcome these major issues.
We propose a study related to the sintering of ligand-free gold NPs by using very low concentrations of potassium bromide solutions as well as a fast and facile synthesis of silver nanoprisms in a single step, involving laser ablation of a silver target in liquid media while this is exposed to light irradiation and hydrogen peroxide flow.
We characterize sintered NPs by using UV-Vis spectroscopy, as well as microscopic techniques like scanning electron transmission microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Our findings are supported by Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations.
The picture is completed by reporting some sensing features of the obtained nanoparticles and some applications to optoelectronics.
The innovative reshaping and sintering methods provide a cost and energy efficient solution and contributes to reduce sintering time, making it promising for industrial applications.