Preparation of semiconductor nanospheres by laser-induced phase separation

Semiconductor nanospheres were efficiently synthesized by the pulsed-laser-ablation-in-liquid technique applied to suspensions of certain powders. The nanosphere formation is demonstrated to follow a solid phase separation mechanism and take place in a low-temperature zone of the laser-irradiated volume, while the high temperature and rapid cooling rate generated by pulsed laser are crucial for the particle shape. The synthetic route is applied to different material systems and proved to be a general way for manufacturing various high-quality nanostructures with spherical shape.