Laser ablation-based synthesis of functionalized colloidal nanomaterials in biocompatible solutions

An overview of experimental results related to the femtosecond laser ablation-based nanofabrication in aqueous biocompatible solutions is presented. The method makes possible the production of stable metal nanoparticle colloids with extremely small size (down to 2–2.5 nm) and size dispersion (down to 1–1.5 nm). Being prepared in the absence of toxic by-products in biologically-friendly environment, the nanoparticles exhibit unique surface chemistry and can be linked to different species (oligosaccharides, biopolymers, etc.). The nanoparticles promise a solution of toxicity problem, typical for nanomaterials synthesized by pure chemical routes, and can be used in biosensing and imaging applications.