Study of Physico-Chemical Interactions during the Production of Silver Citrate Nanocomposites with Hemp Fiber

In the study presented in this paper, the results obtained by producing nanocomposites consisting of a silver citrate thin layer deposited on hemp fiber surfaces are analyzed. Using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method applied to a silver target with impurities of nickel and iron, the formation of the silver citrate film is performed in various ways and the results are discussed based on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX) spectroscopy analyses. A mechanism of the physico-chemical processes that take place based on the FTIR vibrational modes and the elemental composition established by the SEM-EDS analysis is proposed. Inhibition of the fermentation process of Saccharomyces cerevisae is demonstrated for the nanocomposite material of the silver citrate thin layer, obtained by means of the PLD method, on hemp fabric. The usefulness of composite materials of this type can extend from sensors and optoelectronics to the medical fields of analysis and treatment.

Fast One-Step Synthesis of Anisotropic Silver Nanoparticles

The shape control of metal nanoparticles, along with the size, is critical for most of their applications as they control their optical properties. Anisotropic metal nanoparticles show superior performance in a number of applications compared to spherical ones. Shape control is usually achieved by a two-step process, where the first involves the formation of spherical nanoparticles and the second is about the actual shape transformation. In this paper, we report on a fast and facile synthesis of silver nanoplates in a single step, involving laser ablation of a silver target in a liquid medium while this is exposed to light irradiation and hydrogen peroxide flow. We obtained anisotropic particles with a mixture of shapes, of 70–80 nm in size and 10–20 nm in thickness, which showed a plasmon sensitivity greater than 200 nm/RIU.

Influence of Magnetic Field on Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by Laser Ablation

Laser ablation of a silver target immersed in distilled water using Nd:YAG laser with a fundamental wavelength of 1064nm was carried out to fabricate silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with different laser energy in the presence and absence of magnetic field. UV-Visible spectrum showed that the nanoparticles are almost spherical in shape. The number of Ag NPs increased by increasing laser energy while their particle size was reduced by increasing laser energy without magnetic field. In the presence of magnetic field, the size of Ag NPs increased slightly by increasing laser energy. According to AFM results, the presence of magnetic field did not affect the average diameter of Ag NPs. The presence of a magnetic field causes a change in grain size of Ag NPs with increasing laser energy. While XRD data illustrated that the magnetic field causes an increase in the crystallite size of Ag NPs.

Opacity Corrections for Resonance Silver Lines in Nano-Material Laser-Induced Plasma

Q-switched laser radiation at wavelengths of 355, 532, and 1064 nm from a Nd: YAG laser was used to generate plasma in laboratory air at the target surface made of nano-silver particles of size 95 ± 10 nm. The emitted resonance spectra from the neutral silver at wavelengths of 327.9 nm and 338.2 nm indicate existence of self-reversal in addition to plasma self-absorption. Both lines were identified in emission spectra at different laser irradiation wavelengths with characteristic dips at the un-shifted central wavelengths. These dips are usually associated with self-reversal. Under similar conditions, plasmas at the corresponding bulk silver target were generated. The recorded emission spectra were compared to those obtained from the nano-material target. The comparisons confirm existence of self-reversal of resonance lines that emerge from plasmas produced at nano-material targets. This work suggests a method for recovery of the spectral line shapes and discusses practical examples. In addition, subsidiary calibration efforts that utilize the Balmer series Hα-line reveal that other Ag I lines at 827.35 nm and 768.7 nm are optically thin under variety of experimental conditions and are well-suited as reference lines for measurement of the laser plasma electron density.

Opacity Corrections for Resonance Silver Lines in Nano-Material Laser-Induced Plasma

Q-switched laser radiation at wavelengths of 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm from a Nd: YAG laser was used to generate plasma in laboratory air at the target surface made of compressed nano-silver particles of size 95 ± 10 nm. The emitted resonance spectra from the neutral silver at wavelengths of 327.9 nm and 338.2 nm indicate existence of self-reversal in addition to plasma self-absorption. Both lines were identified in emission spectra at different laser irradiation wavelengths with characteristic dips at the un-shifted central wavelengths. These dips are usually associated with self-reversal. Under similar conditions, plasmas at the corresponding bulk silver target were generated. The recorded emission spectra were compared to those obtained from the nano-material target. The comparisons confirm existence of self-reversal of resonance lines that emerge from plasmas produced at nano-material targets. This work suggests a method for recovery of the spectral line shapes and discusses practical examples. In addition, subsidiary calibration efforts that utilize the Balmer series Hα-line reveal that other Ag I lines at 827.35 nm and 768.7 nm are optically thin under variety of experimental conditions and are well-suited as reference lines for measurement of the laser plasma electron density.

Electrical glow discharges and plasma parameter of planar sputtering system for silver target

DC planar sputtering system is characterized by varying discharge potential of (250-2000 volt) and Argon gas pressures of (3.5×10-2 – 1.5) mbar. The breakdown voltage for silver electrode was studied with a uniform electric field at different discharge distances, as well as plasma parameters. The breakdown voltage is a product of the Argon gas pressure inside the chamber and gab distance between the electrodes, represent as Paschen curve. The Current-voltage characteristics curves indicate that the electrical discharge plasma is working in the abnormal glow region. Plasma parameters were found from the current-voltage characteristics of a single probe positioned at the inter-cathode space. Typical values of the electron temperature and the electron density are in the range of (2.93 –5.3) eV and (10-16 -10-17) m-3 respectively.

SERS active Ag–SiO2 nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation of silver in colloidal silica

Highly stable Ag–SiO2 nanoparticle composites were first obtained by laser ablation of a silver target in an aqueous colloidal dispersion of silica and examined by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of these nanocomposites was tested using 2,2’-bipyridine as a molecular reporter and excitation in the visible and near-IR spectral regions. The computational DFT approach provided evidence of ligand adsorption on positively charged adatoms of the silver nanostructured surface, in a very similar way to the metal/molecule interaction occurring in the corresponding Ag(I) coordination compound.

Highly-repeatable generation of very small nanoparticles by pulsed-laser ablation in liquids of a high-speed rotating target

Very small and pure Ag nanoparticles are generated by pulsed-laser ablation in water of a silver target rotated at a high-speed.