Abstract
One-step synthesis of nickel-phyllosilicate (Ni-PS) nanocomposites was achieved using a femtosecond-reactive laser ablation in liquid (fs-RLAL) technique. The focusing of intense femtosecond laser pulses onto a silicon wafer immersed in aqueous nickel nitrate generated Ni-PS with high Ni loading in excess of 20 wt % under alkaline pH conditions. Analysis of the dissolved species in solution present after laser processing revealed that silicic acid was the key dissolved ablation product that reacted with the nickel nitrate to form the Ni-PS under alkaline conditions. When the solution was below pH 7, no silicic acid was generated from ablation, and consequently, no Ni-PS was formed in the dried product. The mechanism of Ni-PS formation from fs-RLAL of a silicon wafer immersed in aqueous nickel nitrate solutions is discussed. On the basis of this mechanism, it is expected that the fs-RLAL method will be capable of generating a variety of metal-phyllosilicates from different metal salt precursors.
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