Morphology and Stability of Composite Silicon–Silver Nanoparticles Produced by Laser Ablation in a Liquid

The possibility of the liquid-phase laser synthesis of silver-decorated silicon nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 120 nm, a diameter dispersion of less than 40 nm, and a size of decorating Ag nanoclusters in the range from 5 to 15 nm is shown as a result of the picosecond laser ablation of silicon targets in a water-ethanol solution containing dissolved silver nitrate (AgNO3) crystals. At a fixed laser pulses exposure time, the morphology of the nanoparticles depends on the ratio of water and ethanol in the solution and the concentration of silver nitrate. It is demonstrated that the pH factor of the buffer medium has a direct influence on the stability and decorative coating properties of the produced nanoparticles.