https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-07069-3
Regular Article
Improving the morphological and optical properties of silver nanostructures induced by pulsed laser ablation at different wavelengths
Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Mosul, 41002, Mosul, Iraq
a
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Received:
8
June
2025
Accepted:
13
November
2025
Published online:
23
January
2026
Abstract
We present an investigation of the effect of the wavelength on the optical and morphological properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) prepared by laser ablation in liquid. A nanosecond Nd:YAG laser was used with various wavelengths (532, 1064, and 1320 nm) to ablate a pure Ag target and generate AgNPs in liquid. The prepared colloidal nanoparticles were characterized by means of UV–Vis-NIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. TEM and SEM micrographs demonstrated significant modification in the size, shape, and distribution of the AgNPs when the ablation wavelength is adjusted. It is found that the mean diameter of AgNPs decreases with increasing ablation wavelength; a mean diameter of 20 nm of the spherical Ag nanoparticles was recorded at 1064 nm ablation wavelength. UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy revealed a tangible effect of ablation wavelength on the absorption spectra of the samples, where the optical band gap exhibited increases when ablation wavelength is increased. Further analysis for the absorption spectra of the samples was conducted by modelling the spectra to Gaussian distribution to estimate the inhomogeneous broadening, radiative time, and optical absorption cross section of the samples at different ablation wavelengths. These findings confirm the possibility of modifying the optical and morphological characteristics of AgNPs prepared by PLAL. Finally, the AgNPs samples prepared in this study are good candidates for photocatalytic and photonic applications.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
