Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminum Nanoparticles Prepared in Vinegar Using a Pulsed Laser Ablation Technique

The second harmonic wavelength of a neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) laser (λ=532 nm) was used in a pulsed laser ablation technique (PLAL) to synthesize aluminum nanoparticles suspended in white vinegar from an aluminum target. The nanoparticles were characterized by HRTEM and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. They were found to range in size between 2 and 50 nm in diameter, with an average diameter of 12±9 nm. The nanoparticles had a maximum absorption peak at 237 nm and were found to exhibit a core-shell structure with an Al core coated by a thin layer of an amorphous material which could be attributed to amorphous carbon. HRTEM results revealed that the small nanoparticles (