ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the processes involved in the generation of nanoparticles by material ablation with two time-delayed laser pulses. It discusses the short-pulse laser ablation (LA) of metals and nanoparticle (NP) generation with two time-delayed femtosecond laser pulses. The chapter devotes to the description of typical experiments employed in double-pulse (DP) laser–matter interactions. It discusses the experimental results on the DP-LA of metals and NP generation with respect to the influence of the interpulse delay on plasma composition and crater depth. The chapter examines the developments achieved in modeling laser–matter interactions in the DP regime. LA is a unique tool for the fabrication of NPs, exhibiting several advantages over the classical wet-chemical synthesis methods. The main advantage of the LA technique is the possibility to preserve material stoichiometry during the ablation process, and LA is a faster and cleaner procedure since toxicity is difficult to avoid in traditional chemical routes of synthesis.
