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Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanofabrication and Nanomanufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 18651

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Prof. Dr. Oleg Vitrik

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Institute of Automation and Control Processes, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 690091 Vladivostok, Russia
Interests: laser nanostructuring; scanning near field microscopy; plasmonics; optical sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Aleksandr Kuchmizhak

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Guest Editor

Institute of Automation and Control Processes of FEB RAS, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
Interests: laser material processing; laser ablation in liquids; plasmonics; optical sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, the fabrication of functional nanomaterials and nanotextured surfaces assisted by spatially and temporally confined laser radiation has matured from laboratory-scale methods to application-ready technology. The interaction of intense laser radiation with matter can induce an intricate sequence of physical processes, including ultrafast phase transitions and self-organization mediated by instabilities and/or interference effects. These processes allow for the creation of diverse, random and periodically modulated surface morphologies with unique functional properties. Furthermore, pulsed laser ablation of bulk materials in a liquid environment generates rather unique experimental conditions (high pressures and temperature, fast quenching rates, etc.) for the environmentally friendly synthesis of nanomaterials with unique compositions and structures (including metastable and nonequilibrium properties). Finally, laser radiation can serve as a convenient tool for the localization of photo- and thermal-induced chemical reactions in a liquid environment, allowing the deposition of functional coatings and nanomaterial synthesis.

Along with reviewing the fundamentals mechanisms underlaying laser-matter interaction, this Special Issue will focus on the fabrication of nanotextured surfaces and nanomaterials using common laser-fabrication technologies, including, but not limited to, direct laser nanopatterning, laser-induced periodic surface structuring, laser ablation/fragmentation in liquids, and laser-induced deposition. Special attention will be given to common and emerging applications as well as devices realized using nanostructures produced by the mentioned laser technologies.

To sum up, this Special Issue welcomes original and review contributions highlighting the recent trend in the fabrication and application of functional nanostructures, nanomaterials and nanotextured surfaces using laser radiation.

Prof. Dr. Oleg Vitrik
Dr. Aleksandr Kuchmizhak
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

direct laser material processing
laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS)
laser ablation/ fragmentation in liquid phase
laser-induced deposition
applications of laser-produced nanostructures

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

4 pages, 169 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial: Special Issue “Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials”

by Oleg Vitrik and Aleksandr Kuchmizhak

Nanomaterials 2024, 14(4), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14040344 - 11 Feb 2024

Viewed by 503

Abstract

The fabrication of functional nanomaterials and nanotextured surfaces assisted by spatially and temporally confined laser radiation has matured from laboratory-scale methods to application-ready technology during recent decades [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

15 pages, 2379 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laser-Ablative Synthesis of Silicon–Iron Composite Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applications

by Alexander A. Bubnov, Vladimir S. Belov, Yulia V. Kargina, Gleb V. Tikhonowski, Anton A. Popov, Alexander Yu. Kharin, Mikhail V. Shestakov, Alexander M. Perepukhov, Alexander V. Syuy, Valentyn S. Volkov, Vladimir V. Khovaylo, Sergey M. Klimentov, Andrei V. Kabashin and Victor Yu. Timoshenko

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(15), 2256; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13152256 - 05 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1339

Abstract

The combination of photothermal and magnetic functionalities in one biocompatible nanoformulation forms an attractive basis for developing multifunctional agents for biomedical theranostics. Here, we report the fabrication of silicon–iron (Si-Fe) composite nanoparticles (NPs) for theranostic applications by using a method of femtosecond laser ablation in acetone from a mixed target combining silicon and iron. The NPs were then transferred to water for subsequent biological use. From structural analyses, it was shown that the formed Si-Fe NPs have a spherical shape and sizes ranging from 5 to 150 nm, with the presence of two characteristic maxima around 20 nm and 90 nm in the size distribution. They are mostly composed of silicon with the presence of a significant iron silicide content and iron oxide inclusions. Our studies also show that the NPs exhibit magnetic properties due to the presence of iron ions in their composition, which makes the formation of contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) possible, as it is verified by magnetic resonance relaxometry at the proton resonance frequency. In addition, the Si-Fe NPs are characterized by strong optical absorption in the window of relative transparency of bio-tissue (650–950 nm). Benefiting from such absorption, the Si-Fe NPs provide strong photoheating in their aqueous suspensions under continuous wave laser excitation at 808 nm. The NP-induced photoheating is described by a photothermal conversion efficiency of 33–42%, which is approximately 3.0–3.3 times larger than that for pure laser-synthesized Si NPs, and it is explained by the presence of iron silicide in the NP composition. Combining the strong photothermal effect and MRI functionality, the synthesized Si-Fe NPs promise a major advancement of modalities for cancer theranostics, including MRI-guided photothermal therapy and surgery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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20 pages, 16628 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Tribological Performance of Low-Friction Nanocomposite WSe_xS_y/NP-W Coatings Prepared by Reactive PLD

by Vyacheslav Fominski, Dmitry Fominski, Maxim Demin, Roman Romanov and Alexander Goikhman

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(6), 1122; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13061122 - 21 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1716

Abstract

A novel laser-based method for producing nanocomposite coatings consisting of a tungsten sulfoselenide (WSe_xS_y) matrix and W nanoparticles (NP-W) was developed. Pulsed laser ablation of WSe₂ was carried out in H₂S gas under appropriate laser fluence and reactive gas pressure. It was found that moderate sulfur doping (S/Se ~0.2–0.3) leads to significant improvement in the tribological properties of WSe_xS_y/NP-W coatings at room temperature. Changes in the coatings during tribotesting depended on the load on the counter body. The lowest coefficient of friction (~0.02) with a high wear resistance was observed in a N₂ environment at an increased load (5 N), resulting from certain structural and chemical changes in the coatings. A tribofilm with a layered atomic packing was observed in the surface layer of the coating. The incorporation of nanoparticles into the coating increased its hardness, which may have influenced the formation of the tribofilm. The initial matrix composition, which had a higher content of chalcogen atoms ((Se + S)/W~2.6–3.5), was altered in the tribofilm to a composition close to the stoichiometric one ((Se + S)/W~1.9). W nanoparticles were ground and retained under the tribofilm, which impacted the effective contact area with the counter body. Changes in the tribotesting conditions—lowering the temperature in a N₂ environment—resulted in considerable deterioration of the tribological properties of these coatings. Only coating with a higher S content that was obtained at increased H₂S pressure exhibited remarkable wear resistance and a low coefficient of friction, measuring 0.06, even under complicated conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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11 pages, 2976 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Molecular Plasmonic Silver Forests for the Photocatalytic-Driven Sensing Platforms

by Maxim Fatkullin, Raul D. Rodriguez, Ilia Petrov, Nelson E. Villa, Anna Lipovka, Maria Gridina, Gennadiy Murastov, Anna Chernova, Evgenii Plotnikov, Andrey Averkiev, Dmitry Cheshev, Oleg Semyonov, Fedor Gubarev, Konstantin Brazovskiy, Wenbo Sheng, Ihsan Amin, Jianxi Liu, Xin Jia and Evgeniya Sheremet

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(5), 923; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13050923 - 02 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1799

Abstract

Structural electronics, as well as flexible and wearable devices are applications that are possible by merging polymers with metal nanoparticles. However, using conventional technologies, it is challenging to fabricate plasmonic structures that remain flexible. We developed three-dimensional (3D) plasmonic nanostructures/polymer sensors via single-step laser processing and further functionalization with 4-nitrobenzenethiol (4-NBT) as a molecular probe. These sensors allow ultrasensitive detection with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). We tracked the 4-NBT plasmonic enhancement and changes in its vibrational spectrum under the chemical environment perturbations. As a model system, we investigated the sensor’s performance when exposed to prostate cancer cells’ media over 7 days showing the possibility of identifying the cell death reflected in the environment through the effects on the 4-NBT probe. Thus, the fabricated sensor could have an impact on the monitoring of the cancer treatment process. Moreover, the laser-driven nanoparticles/polymer intermixing resulted in a free-form electrically conductive composite that withstands over 1000 bending cycles without losing electrical properties. Our results bridge the gap between plasmonic sensing with SERS and flexible electronics in a scalable, energy-efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly way. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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13 pages, 4609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gas Sensing of Laser-Produced Hybrid TiO₂-ZnO Nanomaterials under Room-Temperature Conditions

by Neli Mintcheva, Dinesh Kumar Subbiah, Marat E. Turabayev, Stanislav O. Gurbatov, John Bosco Balaguru Rayappan, Aleksandr A. Kuchmizhak and Sergei A. Kulinich

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(4), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13040670 - 09 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1578

Abstract

The preparation method can considerably affect the structural, morphological, and gas-sensing properties of mixed-oxide materials which often demonstrate superior photocatalytic and sensing performance in comparison with single-metal oxides. In this work, hybrids of semiconductor nanomaterials based on TiO₂ and ZnO were prepared by laser ablation of Zn and Ti plates in water and then tested as chemiresistive gas sensors towards volatile organics (2-propanol, acetaldehyde, ethanol, methanol) and ammonia. An infrared millisecond pulsed laser with energy 2.0 J/pulse and a repetition rate of 5 Hz was applied to Zn and Ti metal targets in different ablation sequences to produce two nano-hybrids (TiO₂/ZnO and ZnO/TiO₂). The surface chemistry, morphology, crystallinity, and phase composition of the prepared hybrids were found to tune their gas-sensing properties. Among all tested gases, sample TiO₂/ZnO showed selectivity to ethanol, while sample ZnO/TiO₂ sensed 2-propanol at room temperature, both with a detection limit of ~50 ppm. The response and recovery times were found to be 24 and 607 s for the TiO₂/ZnO sensor, and 54 and 50 s for its ZnO/TiO₂ counterpart, respectively, towards 100 ppm of the target gas at room temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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9 pages, 9496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ferroelectric Nanodomain Engineering in Bulk Lithium Niobate Crystals in Ultrashort-Pulse Laser Nanopatterning Regime

by Sergey Kudryashov, Alexey Rupasov, Mikhail Kosobokov, Andrey Akhmatkhanov, George Krasin, Pavel Danilov, Boris Lisjikh, Anton Turygin, Evgeny Greshnyakov, Michael Kovalev, Artem Efimov and Vladimir Shur

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(23), 4147; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12234147 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1686

Abstract

Ferroelectric nanodomains were formed in bulk lithium niobate single crystals near nanostructured microtracks laser-inscribed by 1030-nm 0.3-ps ultrashort laser pulses at variable pulse energies in sub- and weakly filamentary laser nanopatterning regimes. The microtracks and related nanodomains were characterized by optical, scanning probe and confocal second-harmonic generation microscopy methods. The nanoscale material sub-structure in the microtracks was visualized in the sample cross-sections by atomic force microscopy (AFM), appearing weakly birefringent in polarimetric microscope images. The piezoresponce force microscopy (PFM) revealed sub-100 nm ferroelectric domains formed in the vicinity of the embedded microtrack seeds, indicating a promising opportunity to arrange nanodomains in the bulk ferroelectric crystal in on-demand positions. These findings open a new modality in direct laser writing technology, which is related to nanoscale writing of ferroelectric nanodomains and prospective three-dimensional micro-electrooptical and nanophotonic devices in nonlinear-optical ferroelectrics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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25 pages, 4887 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phase and Structural Thermal Evolution of Bi–Si–O Catalysts Obtained via Laser Ablation

by Anastasiia V. Shabalina, Alexandra G. Golubovskaya, Elena D. Fakhrutdinova, Sergei A. Kulinich, Olga V. Vodyankina and Valery A. Svetlichnyi

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(22), 4101; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12224101 - 21 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1446

Abstract

Laser methods are successfully used to prepare complex functional nanomaterials, especially for biomedicine, optoelectronics, and heterogeneous catalysis. In this paper, we present complex oxide and composite nanomaterials based on Bi and Si produced using laser ablation in liquid followed by subsequent powder annealing. Two synthesis approaches were used, with and without laser post-treatment of mixed (in an atomic ratio of 2:1) laser-generated Bi and Si colloids. A range of methods were used to characterize the samples: UV-Vis diffusion reflection, IR and Raman spectroscopy, synchronous thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, as well as specific surface-area evaluation. We also followed the dynamics of phase transformations, as well as composition, structure and morphology of annealed powders up to 800 °C. When heated, the non-irradiated series of samples proceeded from metallic bismuth, through β-Bi₂O₃, and resulted in bismuth silicates of various stoichiometries. At the same time, in their laser-irradiated counterparts, the formation of silicates proceeded immediately from the amorphous Bi₂SiO₅ phase formed after laser treatment of mixed Bi and Si colloids. Finally, we show their ability to decompose persistent organic molecules of Rhodamine B and phenol under irradiation with a soft UV (375 nm) source. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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20 pages, 9167 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanosecond Laser-Textured Copper Surfaces Hydrophobized with Self-Assembled Monolayers for Enhanced Pool Boiling Heat Transfer

by Matic Može, Matevž Zupančič, Miha Steinbücher, Iztok Golobič and Henrik Gjerkeš

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(22), 4032; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12224032 - 16 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1637

Abstract

Increased cooling requirements of many compact systems involving high heat fluxes demand the development of high-performance cooling techniques including immersion cooling utilizing pool boiling. This study presents the functionalization of copper surfaces to create interfaces for enhanced pool boiling heat transfer. Three types of surface structures including a crosshatch pattern, shallow channels and deep channels were developed using nanosecond laser texturing to modify the surface micro- and nanomorphology. Each type of surface structure was tested in the as-prepared superhydrophilic state and superhydrophobic state following hydrophobization, achieved through the application of a nanoscale self-assembled monolayer of a fluorinated silane. Boiling performance evaluation was conducted through three consecutive runs under saturated conditions at atmospheric pressure utilizing water as the coolant. All functionalized surfaces exhibited enhanced boiling heat transfer performance in comparison with an untreated reference. The highest critical heat flux of 1697 kW m⁻² was achieved on the hydrophobized surface with shallow channels. The highest heat transfer coefficient of 291.4 kW m⁻² K⁻¹ was recorded on the hydrophobized surface with deep channels at CHF incipience, which represents a 775% enhancement over the highest values recorded on the untreated reference. Surface microstructure was identified as the key reason for enhanced heat transfer parameters. Despite large differences in surface wettability, hydrophobized surfaces exhibited comparable (or even higher) CHF values in comparison with their hydrophilic counterparts, which are traditionally considered as more favorable for achieving high CHF values. A significant reduction in bubble departure diameter was observed on the hydrophobized surface with deep channels and is attributed to effective vapor entrapment, which is pointed out as a major contributing reason behind the observed extreme boiling heat transfer performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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10 pages, 2397 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organic Solar Cells Improved by Optically Resonant Silicon Nanoparticles

by Maria Sandzhieva, Darya Khmelevskaia, Dmitry Tatarinov, Lev Logunov, Kirill Samusev, Alexander Kuchmizhak and Sergey V. Makarov

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3916; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12213916 - 06 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2601

Abstract

Silicon nanophotonics has become a versatile platform for optics and optoelectronics. For example, strong light localization at the nanoscale and lack of parasitic losses in infrared and visible spectral ranges make resonant silicon nanoparticles a prospect for improvement in such rapidly developing fields as photovoltaics. Here, we employed optically resonant silicon nanoparticles produced by laser ablation for boosting the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells. Namely, we created colloidal solutions of spherical nanoparticles with a range of diameters (80–240 nm) in different solvents. We tested how the nanoparticles’ position in the device, their concentration, silicon doping, and method of deposition affected the final device efficiency. The best conditions optimization resulted in an efficiency improvement from 6% up to 7.5%, which correlated with numerical simulations of nanoparticles’ optical properties. The developed low-cost approach paves the way toward highly efficient and stable solution-processable solar cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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10 pages, 2335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanohydrodynamic Local Compaction and Nanoplasmonic Form-Birefringence Inscription by Ultrashort Laser Pulses in Nanoporous Fused Silica

by Sergey Kudryashov, Alexey Rupasov, Roman Zakoldaev, Mikhail Smaev, Aleksandr Kuchmizhak, Alexander Zolot’ko, Michail Kosobokov, Andrey Akhmatkhanov and Vladimir Shur

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(20), 3613; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12203613 - 15 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1543

Abstract

The inscription regimes and formation mechanisms of form-birefringent microstructures inside nano-porous fused silica by tightly focused 1030- and 515-nm ultrashort laser pulses of variable energy levels and pulsewidths in the sub-filamentary regime were explored. Energy-dispersion X-ray micro-spectroscopy and 3D scanning confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy revealed the micro-tracks compacted by the multi-shot laser exposure with the nanopores hydrodynamically driven on a microscale to their periphery. Nearly homogeneous polarimetrically acquired subwavelength-scale form-birefringence (refractive index modulation ~10⁻³) was simultaneously produced as birefringent nanogratings inside the microtracks of wavelength-, energy- and pulsewidth-dependent lengths, enabling the scaling of their total retardance for perspective phase-modulation nanophotonic applications. The observed form-birefringence was related to the hierarchical multi-scale structure of the microtracks, envisioned by cross-sectional atomic-force microscopy and numerical modeling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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8 pages, 2540 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Field Electron Emission from Crumpled CVD Graphene Patterns Printed via Laser-Induced Forward Transfer

by Maxim Komlenok, Nikolay Kurochitsky, Pavel Pivovarov, Maxim Rybin and Elena Obraztsova

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(11), 1934; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12111934 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1797

Abstract

A new approach to the fabrication of graphene field emitters on a variety of substrates at room temperature and in an ambient environment is demonstrated. The required shape and orientation of the graphene flakes along the field are created by the blister-based laser-induced forward transfer of CVD high-quality single-layer graphene. The proposed technique allows the formation of emitting crumpled graphene patterns without losing the quality of the initially synthesized graphene, as shown by Raman spectroscopy. The electron field emission properties of crumpled graphene imprints 1 × 1 mm² in size were studied. The transferred graphene flakes demonstrated good adhesion and emission characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Synthesis and Processing of Nanostructured Materials)

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