What is the Research Question? James Milender Del Rio High School San Felipe – Del Rio C.I.S.D. Dr. Sy-Bor Wen, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Types of Research Conducted in the Lab Laser Ablation Laser Ablation to form Core/Shell Nanoparticles Using Nanoparticles to focus lasers to smaller beam widths Courtesy of Young Kyong Jo http://webh01.ua.ac.be/plasma/pages/laser-ablation.html

Texas A&M University Faculty Mentor Dr. Sy-Bor Wen, Assistant Professor Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering University of California at Berkeley, CA 2006 M.S. Mechanical Engineering National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, 1999 B.S. Mechanical Engineering National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, 1997 Currently researching the production of core/shell nanoparticle production using laser ablation and focusing lasers using nanoparticles. http://www2.mengr.tamu.edu/FacultyProfiles/facultyinformation.asp?LastName=syborwen

Background Information Core/Shell Nanoparticles can be produced by various processes Chemically Laser ablation Advantages of Core/Shell Nanoparticles Changes in optical properties Changes in magnetic properties

Relevance of the Research Core/Shell Nanoparticles Biomedical applications Treatment of cancer cells Laser Ablation Better IC chips

Summer Research Core/Shell Nanoparticle Generation with Lasers

ICC Camera Used to image extremely low light sources. Used to image the plasma plumes.

The Containment Chamber

The Containment Chamber during Laser Ablation of Cu

The Process The Excimer laser is fired at the Germanium (Ge) plate A plasma plume of Ge is generated that lasts for 200 – 300 milliseconds As the plume cools and the Ge condenses the plasma changes into Ge nanoparticles Courtesy of Young Kyong Jo

The Process (continued) The Nd:YAG laser is fired at the Copper (Cu) rod 200 milliseconds after the Excimer laser is fired. A Cu plasma plume is generated around the Ge nanoparticles. The Cu coats the Ge nanoparticles to form the Cu Ge core/shell nanoparticles. Courtesy of Young Kyong Jo

Two pulsed laser ablation (Optical fiber Vs. Copper fiber) Sample alignment Nd:YAG laser Copper Fiber 0.25 mm Excimer Laser Optical Fiber Courtesy of Young Kyong Jo

Plume emission images with different delay times (40 mJ ) Courtesy of Young Kyong Jo

The Process (continued) The Core/Shell Nanoparticles are collected on a TEM grid placed within the containment chamber Two types of microscopes used for scanning Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Transmitting Electron Microscope (TEM) http://www.tedpella.com/grids_html/grids.htm

Nanoparticle on TEM grid Courtesy of Young Kyong Jo

Variables The position of the nanoparticle collection device in the containment chamber. Delay times between the Excimer laser and Nd:YAG laser Using different background gases, i.e. argon, helium, etc. Ablation time of the two materials. Varying the energy output of the lasers.

Summary Types of Research Conducted Faculty Mentor Information Background and Relevance Summer Research Experiment Core/Shell Nanoparticle Generation Experiment Variables

Ideas for Classroom Lesson Lasers! Energy beaming ?? http://www.eads.com/1024/en/madebyeads/protection/solar_energy_by_laser.html

Acknowledgements Dr. Sy-Bor Wen, Assistant Professor Young Kyong Jo, Ph. D. Student Texas A&M University Dwight Look College of Engineering National Science Foundation E3 Program Coordinators E3 Participants