Core–shell sphere formation by laser-induced migration of stainless steel sphere in silver-doped glass

The laser manipulation of metal spheres in glass has been reported in the present work. Formation of a stainless steel-silver core–shell sphere in the glass has been demonstrated by passing a stainless steel sphere through silver-doped borosilicate glass. Silver-doped glass was obtained using a field-enhanced ion-exchange technique. The sodium ions in the neighborhood of the surface were exchanged with silver ions. A stainless steel sphere was passed through the silver-doped area, silver in the glass got concentrated in the sphere, and a core–shell stainless steel-silver sphere was formed. In the trajectory of the metal sphere migration, the amount of silver decreased, and silver particles were observed. The amounts of silver in the core–shell sphere and that eliminated from the glass, along the trajectory of the migrated metal sphere, were compared. This technique of laser-induced migration in silver-doped glass enables the formation of core–shell-structured metal spheres with the elimination of the silver contained in the glass along the migration trajectory of the sphere.