Abstract
We have developed a new fabrication technique for submicrometer spherical particles by pulsed laser melting in liquid. In this technique, nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation at relatively low fluence to nanoparticles dispersed in liquid induces particle melting to form droplets, resulting in spherical particle formation by quenching. Here we demonstrate an example of boron carbide spherical particle fabrication by this method, investigate the effect of processing parameters, and discuss the formation mechanism through the simple particle heating/melting model, which is completely different from the mechanism in the conventional pulsed laser ablation in liquid. This process can also be applied for submicrometer spherical particles of various materials, such as metals, oxides, and semiconductors.
