Pulsed Laser Ablation In Liquid Research Articles

Rhenium/rhenium oxide nanoparticles production using femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid.

In this study, rhenium/rhenium oxide nanoparticles (Re / ReO3 NPs) have been produced for the first time in ultrapure water by using Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (fsPLAL) method. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) measurements and results obtained for NPs show the existence of well-crystallized peaks and preferred phases. Re NPs have hexagonal structure while ReO3 NPs have the perovskite-like cubic crystal structures. The Re / ReO3 ratio is also determined to be 53 / 47 with ~ 20 nm crystallite size, while pure ReO3 crystallite sizes were measured to be ~ 25 nm. The TEM results have shown that the produced particles have a spherical shape, and particle sizes changes between ~ 20 nm and ~ 60 nm. The crystallite size is similar due to XRD results. Obtained nanoparticles exhibit promising applications for photonic devices with broad bandgap values which have measured to be 4.71 eV for Re / ReO3 NPs mixture and 4.36 eV for pure ReO3 NPs.

Structure, morphology and absorption characteristics of gold nanoparticles produced via PLAL method: Role of low energy X-ray dosage

This paper reports the effects of low energy X-ray irradiation doses on the structures, morphologies and absorbance of some colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) produced in distilled water via the one-step pulse laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method. An Nd:YAG pulse laser (wavelength of 1064 nm and fluence ranges of 0.076–7.692 J/cm2) was used to ablate the gold plate surface (acted as a target) immersed in distilled water (10 mL). The laser pulse duration was adjusted to 2.5 min (1000 pulses), 5 min (2000 pulses). Simultaneously, the colloidal suspension was irradiated with low energy X-ray. The obtained samples were characterized thoroughly using different analytical instruments. High quality, pure, surfactant-free AuNPs with well-defined morphology and broad size distribution were achieved. The recorded values of the Zeta potential of the as-synthesized AuNPs were increased from -33.1 to -41.2 mV which was mainly due to the low energy X-ray dose-mediated photo- and Auger-electrons generation plus the fragmentation of the bigger NPs into highly stable tinier species inside the colloidal suspension. The observed blue-shift in the absorbance peaks of the NPs centered at 523, 529, and 526 nm irradiated with the corresponding fluences of 0.076, 3.846, and 7.692 J/cm2 was ascribed to the quantum size effects. It is established that the synergy between laser ablation and low energy X-ray does may be effective to prepare the contaminants-free AuNPs in the liquid suspension in a simple rapid and cost-effective way.

Anomalously enhanced thermal conductivity of graphite-oxide nanofluids synthesized via liquid-phase pulsed laser ablation

Graphite-oxide (GO) nanofluids with enhanced thermal conductivity are successfully prepared using pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) of a graphite target in deionized water. The effects of laser frequencies are investigated on the variations of GO nanoparticles. The morphology, structure and composition of the nanoparticles are characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. During the PLAL process, graphite is oxidized to GO which is inherently hydrophilic, no surfactant is required in the preparation of nanofluid. The laser frequency significantly affects the size and morphology of the GO nanoparticles during laser ablation, leading to a profound variation in the thermophysical properties of the GO nanofluids. At the laser frequency of 10 Hz, the maximum thermal conductivity enhancement of 82% is achieved at a temperature of 50 °C while the maximum viscosity increment is recorded at a temperature of 30 °C. This study shows the great potential of the PLAL method in synthesizing GO nanofluid with anomalously enhanced thermal conductivity.

Silver and Copper nano-colloid generation via Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid: Recirculation nanoparticle production mode

Metal nanoparticles have unique chemical, physical, electrical, and optical properties that make them attractive for a wide range of applications in sensing, anti-fouling surfaces, medicine, and conductive inks. Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL) is a green method of nanoparticle colloid production, capable of producing ligand-free nanoparticles in solution without the need for hazardous, environmentally unfriendly chemicals. Control of the process parameters can give control over the resulting colloid properties such as particle size distribution. In this work, silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) with average particle size from 2.04 to 19.3 nm and copper (Cu) NPs with average particle size from 40 to 85.9 nm were produced by PLAL) technique.

Distinct optical response of colloidal gold-cinnamon nanocomposites: Role of pH sensitization

Nanocomposites (NCPs) with excellent physical, chemical and optical properties have been broadly used for commercial products and industrial applications. Based on these features of the NCPs, we prepared colloidal gold (Au) and organic cinnamon (Cin) NCPs by laser irradiated Au and Cin targets separately immersed in glass container fulfilled with different pH solutions (5.0 to 8.0). A Q-switched pulse laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique was employed to customize morphology, structural and optical characteristics of these grown nanoparticles inside various pH solutions at room temperature. Colloidal solution of gold-cinnamon nanocomposites (Au-Cin NCPs) was characterized via Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometer and CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram. TEM image and SAED patters revealed spherical shaped Au-Cin NCPs with a particle diameters of 5.19 ± 1.23 nm and a nanocrystalline face centred cubic (FCC) nucleation. These plasmonic Au-Cin NCPs very strong UV-Vis absorbance bands at (270 nm and 522 nm) and CIE color coordinate (color temperature of 6437.001 K and color purity of 11.9130 %). It is established that the PLAL made-up Au-embedded Cin NCPs may be useful for the formulation of nanobiomedicine drugs.

Gold-Nanoparticle Synthesization In Gum Arabic Solution By Pulsed Laser Ablation

Green synthesis of nanoparticles is crucial to effectively reduce the risk to the environment by eradicating hazardous components that are harmful to human health. The broad complications such as aggregation and oxidation of nanoparticles will potentially limit their usage. Gum Arabic (GA) has attained decent attention due to less toxicity and bio-compatibility with metals. Gold-nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have several applications in diagnosing cancer, targeted delivery of drugs and in cancer treatment. This project is conducted by synthesizing Au-NPs in GA solution via pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique at varied laser fluences. A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with wavelength of 1064 nm was focused using a lens with a focal length of 80 mm to ablate a gold plate immersed in GA solution. Four different laser fluences were tested. The laser fluences were 0.203, 0.214, 0.250 and 0.272 J. The Au-NPs synthesized in the GA solution were then characterized using photoluminescene (PL) and UV-Visible double beam spectrometer (UV-Vis). The highest laser fluence has shown the highest intensity while the wavelength of all peaks is the same indicating the same nanomaterials being synthesized in each sample. The UV-Vis spectra indicated that the absorbance increases as the holding time is prolonged. It is believed that the formation of Au-NPs is a nucleating process and followed by a growing process.

Study the Effect of Laser Wavelength on Polymeric Metallic Nanocarrier Synthesis for Curcumin Delivery in Prostate Cancer Therapy: In Vitro Study

Drug delivery using nanocarriers is recommended to decrease the drug amount. To improve the different therapeutic characteristics of curcumin (CU) such as solubility, bioavailability, maintenance endorsement, and make it a promising, successful antitumor drug used for prostate cancer treatment. It was introduced to folate decorated chitosan (CS) coated Fe@Au NPs (FA-CU-CS-Fe@Au NPs). Fe@Au nanoparticle contains magnetic Fe NP’s core with a fine layer of Au NP’s synthesized using the method Pulsed, Laser, Ablation in Liquid (PLAL). These Fe@Au NP’s characterized by UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, High-Resolution, Transmission Electron Microscopy, (HRTEM), and Field Emission Scanning, Electron, Microscopy (FESEM). The smallest nanosize and the best result was obtained at different laser wavelength (532, 1064) nm. The mean size gained of Fe@Au NPs were (67.65, 77.88) nm. Obtained results exhibited that the laser wavelength plays a key role in the size, and dispersity of Fe@Au NPs. CU loaded FA-CS-Fe@Au NPs MTT assay on human prostate cancer cell line (PC3) proved that CU cytotoxicity can improve when they are loaded on (FA-CS-Fe@Au NPs) when comparing it with free CU.

Planar head wave induced by pulsed laser ablation in liquid

We studied the dynamics of nanosecond-pulsed laser ablation of graphite-coated and black-paint-coated targets in liquids using a custom-designed time-resolved photoelasticity imaging technique. We presented the first demonstration of a planar head wave that was almost parallel to the target surface. In the solid, we observed a planar stress wave that was a counterpart of the planar head wave. This planar stress wave distorted the typical stress distribution induced by pulsed laser ablation in liquid. The planar head wave and stress wave traveled at the acoustic speed in the corresponding medium. These wavefronts were stronger as the number of shots increased.

Short-Pulse Lasers: A Versatile Tool in Creating Novel Nano-/Micro-Structures and Compositional Analysis for Healthcare and Wellbeing Challenges.

Driven by flexibility, precision, repeatability and eco-friendliness, laser-based technologies have attracted great interest to engineer or to analyze materials in various fields including energy, environment, biology and medicine. A major advantage of laser processing relies on the ability to directly structure matter at different scales and to prepare novel materials with unique physical and chemical properties. It is also a contact-free approach that makes it possible to work in inert or reactive liquid or gaseous environment. This leads today to a unique opportunity for designing, fabricating and even analyzing novel complex bio-systems. To illustrate this potential, in this paper, we gather our recent research on four types of laser-based methods relevant for nano-/micro-scale applications. First, we present and discuss pulsed laser ablation in liquid, exploited today for synthetizing ultraclean “bare” nanoparticles attractive for medicine and tissue engineering applications. Second, we discuss robust methods for rapid surface and bulk machining (subtractive manufacturing) at different scales by laser ablation. Among them, the microsphere-assisted laser surface engineering is detailed for its appropriateness to design structured substrates with hierarchically periodic patterns at nano-/micro-scale without chemical treatments. Third, we address the laser-induced forward transfer, a technology based on direct laser printing, to transfer and assemble a multitude of materials (additive structuring), including biological moiety without alteration of functionality. Finally, the fourth method is about chemical analysis: we present the potential of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, providing a unique tool for contact-free and space-resolved elemental analysis of organic materials. Overall, we present and discuss the prospect and complementarity of emerging reliable laser technologies, to address challenges in materials’ preparation relevant for the development of innovative multi-scale and multi-material platforms for bio-applications.

Visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance of a Z-scheme based TiO2/WO3/g-C3N4 ternary heterojunctions

A ternary TiO2/WO3/g-C3N4 (TWG) hybrid photocatalyst was synthesised via pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) technique. The photocatalyst was characterised using different analytical techniques such as UV–vis spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, Photoluminescence, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. While the TEM analysis revealed the anchoring of TiO2 and WO3-NPs on the g-C3N4 sheet, the crystal structure of the ternary system as observed in the XRD spectra contains the peaks of all the components materials, which indicate effective formation of TiO2/WO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite. Methylene Blue dye (MB-dye) was employed as a model pollutant to assess the performance of the TiO2/WO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite in the photocatalytic degradation experiment, under visible light irradiation using a 300 W xenon lamp. The results demonstrated that loading of TiO2/WO3 binary system with x-wt% (x = 5, 10, 15, 20) of g-C3N4, which serves as an interfacial mediator for proper separation and transfer of charges through the formation of heterojunction and Z-scheme with TiO2 and WO3 respectively, excellently enhanced their photocatalytic performance. The loading of g-C3N4 helps to increase the surface area of the ternary system for photocatalytic reaction, enhance the light absorption capacity in the visible region and thereby enhancing the photocatalytic performance of the system. The ternary system (nanocomposite) with optimal loading of 15 % g-C3N4 showed the highest photo-degradation efficiency (91.5 %) and rate constant (0.0215 min−1) which is about 3 times higher than those of their binary counterparts.

Preparation and Characterizations of Nanomaterial by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAIL) as Friendly Environment Paint

In this research, silver oxide and nickel oxide were prepared as collide using Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAIL) method in the water. In all preparation case, the laser parameters were fixed at optimum conditions (laser energy 600 mJ with frequency 1 Hz at room temperature) and nanomaterial was added in several proportions (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 12%) to the local paint. Physical properties of the nano-collide were studied by Uv-visible spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), contact angle (CA). A colloid as core-shell (composite materials) was obtained when the two slices were placed together in the water and ablated them by laser. It has shown the best results compared to using its individual Ni or Ag. The local paint was tested in two cases: the first by adding nickel and silver as micro-scale, and in the other in nanoscale to compare which one the best in the self-cleaning. The nanomaterial at a percentage 12% showed the best results when it added to the paint; it for their properties such as adhesion strength and hardness strength, exposure to weather conditions of temperature, and humidity. The adhesive strength increased when adding the nanomaterial from 112 to 139 before exposure to the weather and from 58 to 108 after exposure. The hardness also increased from 77.9 to 86.5 before exposure to the surrounding environment and from 94.2 to 96.8 after exposure.

Laser assisted anchoring of cadmium sulfide nanospheres into tungsten oxide nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic and electrochemical energy storage applications

The nanocomposites of tungsten oxide and cadmium sulfide (WO3-nCdS) with different mass ratios (n = 0 %, 5 %, 15 %, 30 % and 100 %) of CdS in WO3 were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL). Anchoring of CdS on WO3 brought about attractive material characteristics like, enhanced visible light absorption and reduced electron-hole recombination through the z-scheme charge transfer between WO3 and CdS, which were experimentally confirmed by the absorption spectra and photoluminescence spectra respectively. These new features in the material resulted in the enhancement of photo catalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light; particularly WO3-30 %CdS nanocomposite achieved complete dye degradation in 230 min. Also, when the same nanocomposite is used as an electrode material in the supercapacitor, the areal capacitance (Ca) shows an enhancement in general and reached a level as high as 68.1 m F cm−2 equivalent to 121.2 F g−1 (from charge-discharge analysis), which can be attributed to the increased surface area in the WO3-nCdS nanocomposite. The fabricated device exhibited sufficiently large energy density of 7.7 μWh cm-2 corresponding to high power density of 254 μW cm−2.

Luminescent Carbon Dots Synthesized by the Laser Ablation of Graphite in Polyethylenimine and Ethylenediamine

Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) are still interesting materials due to their possible applications. However, unlike CDs produced by the hydrothermal method, CDs produced the synthesis products by the PLAL method were never separated by dialysis, which differentiates the synthesis products and allows the identification of the main source of fluorescence. In this work, the synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) was performed by nanosecond laser ablation of a graphite target immersed in polyethyleneimine (PEI) and ethylenediamine (EDA), and the synthesis products were separated by dialysis. The results of optical measurements showed that the main source of luminescence of the obtained nanostructures are fluorescent particles or quasi-molecular fluorophores created in the ablation process. In the case of ablation in PEI, most of the produced molecular fluorophores are associated with carbogenic nanostructures, while in the case of EDA, free fluorescent molecules dominate.

Ni-doped carbon nanotubes fabricated by pulsed laser ablation in liquid as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction

Transition–metal-doped carbon-based electrocatalysts have attracted attention as alternatives to noble metal electrocatalysts (e.g. IrO2 and RuO2) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) because they are inexpensive and highly efficient. However, their poor catalytic activity and time-consuming synthesis remain a challenge. Herein, we report a facile and green technique using pulsed laser ablation for preparing Ni-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni-MWCNTs) as OER catalysts. Ni-MWCNTs exhibit high surface area, oxygen-rich functional groups (e.g., hydroxyl and carboxyl), and successful doping of Ni in the carbon framework. The as-prepared Ni-MWCNTs exhibited excellent OER catalytic performance, with an overpotential of 320 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 in an alkaline medium, which is lower than that of the commercial RuO2 catalyst. Furthermore, Ni-MWCNTs displayed the initial electrocatalytic activity after 10-h stability tests, demonstrating good electrochemical durability. We believe that this work provides a simple protocol for fabricating heteroatom-doped carbon nanotubes as high-performance OER electrocatalysts.

Review on Nanomaterials Properties Produced by Laser Technique

The optical properties such as scattering and absorption as well as the morphological properties such as shape and size for the nanomaterials produced by laser were studied in details by different researchers. They used different laser techniques to produce nanoparticles such as Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD), Pulse Laser Ablation (PLA), and Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL). These laser techniques were used to prepare different nanomaterials such as gold, silver, cadmium, zinc sulfide, titanium, and zinc oxide nanoparticles. The optical and morphological properties were studied using different testing techniques such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Diffraction X-ray (SEM-EDX).

Design and Synthesis of Nanoencapsulation with a New Formulation of Fe@Au-CS-CU-FA NPs by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid (PLAL) Method in Breast Cancer Therapy: In Vitro and In Vivo

The purpose of this study is to prepare nanoencapsulation synthesized with a new formulation of Fe@Au-CS-CU-FA nanoparticle (NPs) by pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method as drug delivery to treat breast cancer (T-47D) and (MCF12A) as a normal cell line. The method synthesized Fe@Au NPs using the PLAL working at wavelength 532 nm with different laser fluence (1.9, 2.2, and 2.5) J/cm2. These Fe@Au NPs were characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The obtained mean sizes of Fe@Au NPs were 63.65, 32.47, and 31.18 nm at 1.9, 2.2, and 2.5 J/cm2, respectively. Results of the MTT assay of CU loaded Fe@Au-CS-FA NPs on human breast cancer cell line (T-47D) confirmed that cytotoxicity of CU can enhance when they are loaded on Fe@Au-CS-FA NPs in comparison with free CU. While results of flow cytometry showed that this combination can increase the therapeutic effects of CU by apoptosis induction in the T-47D cell line. Conclusion of Fe@Au-CS-CU-FA NPs causes a decrease in T-47D cell viability and caused induces 85% apoptosis. The in vivo study of Fe@Au-CS-CU-FA nanoformulation confirmed that the mean tumor size decreases in time.

Limited Elemental Mixing in Nanoparticles Generated by Ultrashort Pulse Laser Ablation of AgCu Bilayer Thin Films in a Liquid Environment: Atomistic Modeling and Experiments

Pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) is a promising technique for the generation of colloidal alloy nanoparticles that are of high demand in a broad range of fields, including catalysis, additive manufacturing, and biomedicine. Many of the applications have stringent requirements on the nanoparticle composition and size distributions, which can only be met through innovations in the PLAL technique guided by a clear understanding of the nanoparticle formation mechanisms. In this work, we undertake a combined computational and experimental study of the nanoparticle formation mechanisms in ultrashort PLAL of Ag/Cu and Cu/Ag bilayer thin films. Experimental probing of the composition of individual nanoparticles and predictions from large-scale atomistic simulations provide consistent evidence of limited mixing between the two components from bilayer films by PLAL. The simulated and experimental distributions of nanoparticle compositions exhibit an enhanced abundance of Ag-rich and Cu-rich nanoparticles, as well as a strongly depressed population of well-mixed alloy nanoparticles. The surprising observation that the nanoscale phase separation of the two components in the bilayer films manifests itself in the sharp departure from the complete quantitative mixing in the colloidal nanoparticles is explained by the complex dynamic interaction between the ablation plume and liquid environment revealed in the simulations of the initial stage of the ablation process. The simulations predict that rapid deceleration of the ablation plume by the liquid environment results in the formation of a transient hot and dense metal region at the front of the plume, which hampers the mixing of the two components and, at the same time, contributes to the stratification of the plume in the emerging cavitation bubble. As a result, nanoparticles of different sizes and compositions are produced in different parts of the emerging cavitation bubble during the first nanoseconds of the ablation process. Notably, the diameters of the largest nanoparticles generated in the simulations of the initial stage of the ablation process are more than twice larger than the thickness of the original bilayer films. This observation provides a plausible scenario for the formation of large nanoparticles observed in the experiments. The conclusion on limited elemental mixing in the nanoparticles is validated in simulations of bilayers with different spatial order of Cu and Ag layers, even though the two systems exhibit some notable quantitative differences mainly related to the different strength of electron–phonon coupling in Cu and Ag. Overall, the results of this study provide new insights into the formation mechanism of bimetallic nanoparticles in ultrashort PLAL from thin bilayer targets and suggest that the formation of alloy nanoparticles from immiscible elements may be hampered for targets featuring distinctive elemental segregation.

Synthesis and size modulation of MoS2 quantum dots by pulsed laser ablation in liquid for viable hydrogen generation

In the present work, MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by chemical-free, single step photo-exfoliation of a solid MoS2 target using pulsed laser ablation in distilled water. MoS2 quantum dots (QDs) with average sizes of ∼4, 2.9, and 6.1 nm were synthesized by ablating an MoS2 target for ablation durations of 5, 10, and 20 min at a fixed laser energy of 40 mJ. Furthermore, quantum dots with average sizes of ∼2.9, 3.6, and 4.0 nm were also synthesized at laser energies of 10, 20, and 40 mJ, respectively, for a fixed ablation duration of 5 min. The quantum dots resulted in luminescence in the visible region. The as-synthesized colloidal solution of MoS2 quantum dots in distilled water showed excitation wavelength-dependent luminescence shifted to longer wavelength by varying excitation wavelength from 290 to 390 nm exhibiting the effect of wide size distribution. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction pattern, and zeta potential analysis demonstrated the formation of stoichiometric, highly crystalline, and stable MoS2 quantum dots. Raman spectra of the samples showed two sharp and intense Raman active modes A1g and E2g1 of the MoS2 crystal, indicating crystalline MoS2 quantum dot formation. As an electrocatalytic activity, MoS2 quantum dots exhibited a high rate of hydrogen generation with a minimum Tafel slope of ∼57 mV/dec. High surface area with a large number of active edges makes MoS2 QDs an active catalyst for hydrogen production.

Nanosecond pulse laser-induced fabrication of gold and silver-integrated cinnamon shell structure: Tunable fluorescence dynamics and morphology

Various bio-compatible nanostructures with strong fluorescence and tailored physiochemical properties are desirable for the biomedicine and bioelectronics applications. Based on this fact, we prepared some gold/silver-integrated cinnamon shell structure (SS) using the nanosecond pulselaser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method and characterized systematically. The structure, morphology, color purity, absorption and fluorescence properties of these SS were tuned via the laser parameters variation to determine their practical applications feasibility. The HRTEM images of the produced SS showed the nucleation of the face centered cubic nanocrystallites with growth orientation along (111) and (200) lattice planes. The XRD and thermogravimetric analysis of the as-prepared samples confirmed their crystalline nature and thermal stability, respectively. The EDX spectra and maps of the studied SS revealed their corresponding atomic compositions and distributions. The FTIR and Raman spectra displayed the existence of bimolecular residues within the SS.These plasmonic SS demonstrated very strong UV–Vis absorbance, high fluorescence quantum yield (0.055) and blue emission color purity (CCT and CIE coordinate of 2454.93 K and 0.164, 0.1033) at room temperature. The lifetime decay analyses showed significant decrease of the donor in the presence of the luminescent SS (6.5 ± 5.46 ns), attributing to the interplay of radiative energy transfer andsubsequent emission of the photons at longer wavelengthin theSS. It is established that the PLAL fabricated SS may be useful for the antimicrobial drugs formulation and biophotonic applications.

Single‐Step and Sustainable Fabrication of Ni(OH)2/Ni Foam Water Splitting Catalysts via Electric Field Assisted Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid

AbstractThe prevailing barrier to produce hydrogen from water splitting is disappointingly sluggish kinetics. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of the key obstacle in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is an obstruction to the design of efficient water‐splitting electrocatalysts. Here, we present the single‐step and fast fabrication of ready‐made Ni(OH)2/nickel foam (NF) electrocatalysts for overall water splitting by using the environmentally friendly and sustainable approach of electric‐field‐assisted pulsed laser ablation in liquid for the generation of nanoparticles (NPs) and the simultaneous electrodeposition of the NPs on the NF substrate. The as‐fabricated electrocatalyst is found to be highly efficient and stable in alkaline medium for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and OER kinetics with remarkably low overpotentials of 187 mV (vs. RHE for HER) and 166 mV (vs. RHE for OER) to reach a current density of 20 mA cm−2, with HER and OER Tafel slopes of 82 and 69 mV dec−1, respectively. The two‐electrode electrochemical cell made of the bifunctional Ni(OH)2/NF electrocatalyst requires an overpotential as low as 168 mV to drive a 10 mA/cm2 current density over a long period. These results reveal the long‐term stability and activity of the Ni(OH)2)/NF electrocatalyst towards overall water (OW) splitting. The developed sustainable approach of electrocatalyst fabrication can be extended to a range of materials, beyond Ni(OH)2/NF, to boost a range of chemical reactions, beyond water splitting.