Silver nanoparticles grown in organic solvent PGMEA by pulsed laser ablation and their nonlinear optical properties.

Well dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with narrow size distribution have been grown in organic solvent propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) by pulsed laser ablation techniques. The presence of AgNPs in PGMEA solvent gives rise to an enhancement of the absorption and nonlinear optical properties due to the surface plasmon resonance induced by AgNPs. The shape and density of the AgNPs have been estimated by fitting the absorption spectra with a given model, and the results also show that an additional laser irradiation treatment can improve the monodispersity of the AgNPs and their nonlinear optical properties. The synthesis of AgNPs in PGMEA will facilitate adding AgNPs into organic functional materials especially for photoresist to modify their optical properties.