Fabrication of Ta nanoparticles induced by nanosecond laser ablation in ethanol: the study of laser fluence effects

Tantalum nanoparticles (Ta NPs) were synthesized in ethanol solution by ablation with a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. Prepared NPs were investigated by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Photoluminescence measurement. The average sizes of NPs were calculated to be in the range of 12–18 nm. From the UV-visible studies, the plasmon peak position of Ta NPs was observed in the spectral range of 206–208 nm. The XRD spectra clearly showed the crystalline structure of NPs and various peaks of Ta and Ta₂O₅. Moreover, the UV region in the PL spectrum included the free exciton and the bound exciton emission correlated with the defect concentration. In fact, the laser ablation in the organic and inorganic solvents is a strong technique to obtain some NPs with particular structures, which are impossible to produce by conventional methods.