Laser ablation synthesis in solution and size manipulation offunctional nanoparticles

Nanoparticles represent important tools in modern nanotechnology thanks to their properties, as intense surface plasmon absorption, chemical stability and easy surface chemistry in case of noble metal nanoparticles, or superparamagnetism in case of iron oxide nanoparticles. Laser Ablation Synthesis in Solution (LASiS) technique revealed as easy, versatile and rapid for obtaining nanoparticles in water or organic solvents, without the need for chemicals or stabilizers.[1] Size and structure of nanoparticles obtained by LASiS can be further manipulated by a chemical free laser processing, both with a top down or a bottom up approach.[1] In most cases, the one step functionalization of particles is possible simply by adding the ligands to particles solution. UV – visible spectroscopy allows the monitoring of functionalization process and the estimation of particles size and aggregation. So obtained nanoparticles were studied for multiphoton absorption applications, for surface enhanced Raman labelling, for photothermal therapy in cancer cells and for linear and nonlinear modulation of photonic crystal pseudogap.