Nucleation and growth of nanoparticles in aplasma by laser ablation in liquid

Modelling the nucleation and growth of nanoparticles in liquid-phase laser ablationis very important to optimize and control the size and the structure of nanoparticles.However, the detailed formation process of nanoparticles after laser ablation is stillunclear. In the present study we investigated for the first time the kinetic growthof nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation in water, emphasizing the leading roleof the plasma medium and in particular the electrostatic agglomeration due to thecharging of the nanoparticle in the plasma plume. The importance of the confining roleof the liquid medium on the plasma plume is revealed, showing how an isothermalexpansion is able to produce smaller nanoparticles compared to an adiabatic cooling.