Electrophoretic deposition on graphene of Au nanoparticles generated by laser ablation of a bulk Au target in water

Abstract

The characteristic property of nanoparticles generated by laser ablation of metallic targets in liquids to be surface electrically charged can be exploited for the deposition of the nanoparticles onto electrically conducting substrates directly from the synthesized colloidal solution by using the method of electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The method benefits from the high quality of the interface between the deposited nanoparticles and the substrate due to the ligand-free nanoparticle surfaces and thus providing hybrid materials with advanced and novel properties. In this letter, an Au bulk target was laser ablated in deionized (DI) water for the generation of an Au nanoparticle colloidal solution. Under the present conditions of ablation, nanoparticles with diameters from 4 and up to 67 nm are formed in the solution with 80% of the nanoparticles having diameters below ~20 nm. Their size distribution follows a log-normal function with a median diameter of 8.6 nm. The nanoparticles were deposited onto graphene on a quartz surface by anodic EPD performed at 30 V for 20 min and a longer time of 1 h. A quite uniform surface distribution of the nanoparticles was achieved with surface densities ranging from ~15 to ~40 nanoparticles per μm2. The hybrid materials exhibit clearly the plasmon resonance absorption of the Au nanoparticles. Deposition for short times preserves the integrity of graphene while longer time deposition leads to the conversion of graphene to graphene oxide, which is attributed to the electrochemical oxidation of graphene.