OPTICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, STRUCTURAL, AND PHOTOCATALYTICAL PROPERTIES OF PLASMONIC AU NPS PRODUCED BY PULSED LASER DEPOSITION

Plasmonic Au NPs exhibit exceptional optical, morphological, and structural properties, making them promising materials for applications in photocatalysis, sensing, and energy conversion. This study explores the synthesis and characterization of plasmonic gold NPs produced by pulsed laser deposition, a versatile physical vapor deposition technique. Pulsed Laser Deposition enables precise control over NP formation through tunable parameters such as laser fluence, ambient gas environment, and deposition duration. The resulting NPs were systematically analyzed to evaluate their optical properties, including localized surface plasmon resonance, as well as their morphological and structural attributes. The localized surface plasmon resonance behavior of the synthesized Au NPs was found to be highly dependent on particle size, shape, and distribution, as revealed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Structural analysis via X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline nature of the NPs, with lattice parameters correlating to their stability and catalytic efficiency. Photocatalytic activity tests demonstrated that the gold NPs could effectively degrade organic pollutants under visible light, leveraging their strong LSPR-induced hot electron generation and charge transfer properties. In this study, gold NP thin film was produced on microscopic glass by Pulsed Laser Deposition system. Gold NPs thin film photocatalyst efficiency 95.00% and reaction rate constant 0.39 min-1 were calculated. At the end of 210 min, MB dye was degraded and turned into high transparency due to localized surface plasmon resonance property of gold NP. The findings may provide valuable insights into the design and application of plasmonic Au NPs in photocatalysis and other advanced technologies.