Milligram-per-second femtosecond laser production of Se nanoparticle inks and ink-jet printing of nanophotonic 2D-patterns

摘要

Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•Milligram-per-second femtosecond laser production rate was achieved for selenium nanoparticle colloids in water.•Femtosecond laser ablation of solid selenium proceeded via two-photon absorption and phase explosion.•2D surface patterns and coatings were ink-jet printed using the selenium nanoparticles inks.•Selenium nanoparticles and their aggregates exhibit Mie-resonances in visible and mid-IR spectral ranges.•Surface-enhanced IR absorption of 10-4rhodamine 6G monolayer was observed on the sensing selenium nanoparticle coating.AbstractMilligram-per-second production of selenium nanoparticles in water sols was realized through 7-W, 2 MHz-rate femtosecond laser ablation of a crystalline trigonal selenium pellet. High-yield particle formation mechanism and ultimate mass-removal yield were elucidated by optical profilometry and scanning electron microscopy characterization of the corresponding crater depths and topographies. Deposited selenium particles were inspected by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, while their hydrosols (nanoinks) were characterized by optical transmission, Raman and dynamic light scattering spectroscopy. 2D patterns and coatings were ink-jet printed on thin supported silver films and their bare silica glass substrates, as well as on IR-transparent CaF2substrates, and characterized by electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and broadband (vis-mid IR) transmission spectroscopy, exhibiting crystalline selenium nanoparticles with high refractive index as promising all-dielectric sensing building nanoblocks in nanophotonics.