Formation of core – shell Fe@Al nanoparticles by laser irradiation of a mixture of colloids in ethanol

Abstract

The formation of Fe@Al nanoparticles, containing an iron core and an aluminium shell, under laser irradiation of a mixture of individual colloids of nanoparticle components in absolute ethanol has experimentally been investigated for the first time. A mixture of colloids was irradiated by a sequence of neodymium laser pulses with duration of 10 ns and repetition rate of 10 kHz. It is found that the size of the iron core of core – shell nanoparticles increases from the initial value of 8 nm to 20 nm under irradiation, whereas the aluminium shell size decreases from the initial value of 120 nm to 70 nm. The formation of core – shell nanoparticles is explained by the difference in the melting temperatures of the initial nanoparticles and the difference in the lattice parameters of their materials. The thus obtained core – shell nanoparticles retain ferromagnetic properties. Possible applications of these nanoparticles are discussed.