Metal clusters trapped on opaque substrate particles prepared using pulsed laser ablation in liquid

Abstract

Gold clusters trapped on opaque substrate particles were produced using pulsed laser ablation. The ablation laser irradiated the target Au plate in a liquid dispersed with opaque substrate particles. It was found that the rate of thermal diffusion from the smaller particle that absorbed laser energy was greater than that from the larger particle; therefore, it is less likely to increase the temperature. Subsequently, the Au target was ablated more efficiently than the opaque substrate particles dispersed in the liquid. Therefore, the opaque particles were barely miniaturized and remained intact. The interaction mechanism of the deposition of the Au particle produced by laser ablation on the substrate particles was investigated by measuring the zeta potential of the substrate particles. The positively charged Au particles were adsorbed by ion exchange with positively charged Y2O3 substrate particles. In contrast, they interacted via electrostatic interactions with negatively charged α-quartz and ZSM-5 zeolite particles.