Synthesis of silver nanoparticles by laser ablation in pure water

We have successfully produced silver nanoparticles by irradiating an Ag target with a 532-nm laser beam in pure water. By working with high laser power and small spot sizes, we were able to synthesize very small spherical particles with a typical size of 2–5 nm. The influence of the beam spot size, the laser power, and the ablation time were studied, and the possible mechanisms of particle formation are discussed.