Laser‐assisted synthesis of colloidal FeWxOy and Fe/FexOy nanoparticles in wWater and ethanol

Abstract

Homogeneous polycrystalline FexOy nanoparticles were generated by ablation of iron targets in water by nanosecond laser pulses at 532 nm. In ethanol, crystalline core‐shell Fe/FexOy structures with size medians around 20 nm were produced. The ablation of FeWxOy targets in water resulted in crystalline hollow shells and homogeneous FeWxOy nanoparticles. In contrast, amorphous core‐shell FeWxOy nanoparticles with a median size of 17 nm were produced in ethanol. The size distribution of both the FexOy and the FeWxOy particles showed a slight dependence on fluence and pulse number. This may be related to primary and secondary ablation and modification mechanisms.