Nanoparticle Production by Pulse Laser Ablation in Liquid
IMRA’s i-colloid® nanoparticles are produced by pulsed-laser ablation in liquid (PLAL), a top-down fabrication method in which a bulk target such as gold is fragmented directly in a solvent by high power laser pulses.
During PLAL a focused laser beam produces intense transient heat and pressure within the target material at the focal spot. As the material heats and breaks down (boils), nanoparticles mixed with low density ionized vapor (plasma) are expelled into the solvent, resulting in a colloidal solution.
Varying the target and laser conditions allow the production of nanoparticles with different compositions, features, and sizes, and IMRA has developed patented processes for manufacturing diverse families of colloids.
