Thermo-optical properties of gold nanoparticles in colloidal systems

In this work, we report the thermo-optical properties of nanoparticles in colloidal suspensions. Spherical gold nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation in condensed media were characterized using thermal lens spectroscopy pumping at 532 nm with a 10 ns pulse laser-Nd-YAG system. The obtained nanoparticles were stabilized in the time by surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate or SDS) in water with different molar concentrations. The morphology and size of the gold nanoparticles were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible techniques. The plasmonic resonance bands in gold nanoparticles are responsible for the light optical absorption, and the positions of the absorption maximum and bandwidth in the UV-visible spectra are given by the morphological characteristics of these systems. The thermo-optical constants such as thermal diffusion, thermal diffusivity, and (dn/dT) are functions of the nanoparticle sizes and the dielectric function of the media. For these reasons, the thermal lens (TL) signal is also dependent on nanoparticle sizes. An analysis of the TL signal of the nanoparticles reveals the existence of an inverse dependence between the thermo-optical functions and the size. This methodology can be used in order to evaluate these systems and characterize nanoparticles in different media. These results are expected to have an impact in bioimaging, biosensors, and other technological applications such as cooling systems.