Synthesis of colloidal nanomaterials through femtosecond laser ablation

Abstract

The research conducted during this thesis work is focused on producing metal nanostructures inside organic oils and nano-essambles by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids (PLAL) to solve the biggest issues on their production by conventional approaches: Poor stability, production of chemical waste and uncontrolled chemical reactions due to purity problems. In particular, the biggest contributions achieved on the present work, lies on the experimental demonstration of the synthesis of gold nanoparticles-based aqueous nanofluids that can be used as both volumetric light absorbers and heat exchangers. The fabrication of a nanofluid with a thermal conductivity enhancement of 4.06% over a commercial heat transfer fluid, an eutectic mixture of biphenyl and diphenyl oxide, and the best colloidal stability reported in the literature using these materials. And finally, demonstration of partial reduction of graphene-oxide sheets and its decoration with ligand-free gold nanoparticles, in a single reaction stage avoiding the production of chemical waste.