Nanofluids by pulsed laser ablation in liquid: Parameter influence

Abstract The pulsed laser ablation in liquid method (PLAL), recognized as an environmentally sustainable technique for ablating and dispersing metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) within a liquid medium, was employed to synthesize Copper and Molybdenum targets within water. A varying ablation time duration, a critical parameter in the laser process, was systematically chosen to investigate the stability of Cu/water and Mo/water nanofluids. Optical and morphological characterizations revealed a consistent synthesis of nanoparticles, predominantly manifesting a semi-spherical or circular morphology. Furthermore, the Mo/water nanofluid exhibited a narrower size distribution profile, with ablated NPs averaging approximately 7 nm after 20 minutes of ablation, contributing to enhanced stability over a 30 days compared to the relatively lower stability observed in Cu/water nanofluids.