Atomic luminescence of Ag during single-bubble sonolysis of silver nanoparticles aqueous suspension

Abstract

For the first time, luminescence of Ag atoms was recorded during moving single-bubble sonolysis of silver nanoparticles aqueous colloidal suspension. This glow is caused by the entry of nanoparticles into a bubble deformable during motion and their decomposition to atoms with collisional excitation in the nonequilibrium plasma of the bubble. Nanoparticles were obtained by multibubble sonolysis of an AgNO3 solution with the addition of honey. This method was used to synthesize a stable suspension of Ag nanoparticles with an average size of ~ 10 nm. By comparing the experimental spectrum of this suspension and simulated spectra of Ag, the electron temperature in the bubble plasma was found to be ~ 10 000 K. Keywords: single-bubble sonoluminescence, silver nanoparticles, electron plasma temperature.