In this paper we present a study on the formation of gold colloids by laser ablation of a gold metal target in alkanes and thiol-alkane solutions. The results show a decrease of the gold particles' size up to 2 nm when thiol molecules are present in the liquid environment. In summary, we observed that laser ablation of gold targets in thiol-alkane solutions leads to the formation of stable gold clusters with size smaller than those obtained in the corresponding pure alkane. This result is a consequence of the competition between the aggregation of gold species in the plume (which allows a gold embryo to be formed and to grow) and the tendency of the dispersed thiol molecules to bond at each embryo surface stopping their growth.
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