Luminescent carbon nanostructures synthesized by ultrasound-assisted laser ablation in liquid media

In this work, it is shown that the use of liquid laser ablation assisted by an ultrasonic field allows the preparation of carbon nanostructures with photoluminescent properties. The ablation of a high purity carbon target submerged in deionized water, in absence and in presence of an ultrasonic field, variable in power and frequency, was performed using a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser emitting at 1064 nm. The obtained nanostructures were characterized by UV–Vis, Raman, and Photoluminescence spectroscopies, as well as by Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopies. In general terms, the characterization results reveal important effects due to the application of the ultrasonic field, particularly, modifying their photoluminescence emission properties.