Laser ablation synthesis of PVP-stabilized Au, Ag, and AuAg nanoparticles: A comparative SERS study for sensing rhodamine 6G
Abdul SUBHAN, Soumya COLUMBUS, Hussain ALAWADHI, Karthigaimuthu DHARMALINGAM, Abdel-Hamid Ismail MOURAD
Abstract. Nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL), as an environmentally friendly technique, was utilized to produce colloids of mono metallic Au, Ag and AuAg alloyed nanoparticles from their respective metal targets submerged within a solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as stabilizer. The laser parameters utilized to fabricate the nanoparticles were wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse frequency 6 Hz, and pulse energy of 200 mJ. The colloids were characterized to study the optical and physical properties of metallic NPs using UV-Visible spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis. UV-Vis studies revealed distinct plasmonic absorption bands with characteristic peaks lying in the visible region (Ag Nps at λ=400 nm, Au NPs at λ=520 nm). In bi-metallic NPs systems, AuAg alloyed NPs showed a single plasmon band intermediate between Au and Ag (at λ=440 nm) and alloying confirmed with EDX measurements. Ag NPs exhibited the highest absorption intensity among all the cooloids. FE-SEM studies confirmed formation of spherical and non-agglomerated nanostructures in all NPs. The comparative investigation of colloids utilized as Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrates for detection of Rhodamine 6G as analyte showed all NPs showing signal amplification using Raman laser wavelength of 488 nm following a definite order of performance, with Ag NPs having a far greater enhancement factor, followed by AuAg alloyed system with Au NPs showing the least signal enhancement. The superior SERS performance by Ag NPs is attributed to stronger electromagnetic enhancement provided at the excitation wavelength and NP yield generating SERS active hotspots. With limited studies focussing on comparative analysis of laser fabricated noble NP systems, the current study highlights the effectiveness of PLAL as a green synthesis route. Producing stable and monodisperse nanoparticles provides valuable insights into their comparative plasmonic behaviour and practical potential in chemical sensing for environmental applications.
Keywords
Nanoparticles, Laser Ablation in Liquid, SERS Substrates, Plasmonic
Published online 6/20/2026, 7 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Abdul SUBHAN, Soumya COLUMBUS, Hussain ALAWADHI, Karthigaimuthu DHARMALINGAM, Abdel-Hamid Ismail MOURAD, Laser ablation synthesis of PVP-stabilized Au, Ag, and AuAg nanoparticles: A comparative SERS study for sensing rhodamine 6G, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 401-407, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-54
The article was published as article 54 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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