Formation of Titanium Carbide (TiC) and TiC@C core-shell nanostructures by ultra-short laser ablation of titanium carbide and metallic titanium in liquid.

Laser ablation of bulk target in liquid allows to obtain stable nanoparticles and nanostructures, also in metastable phases, limiting the use of hazardous reagents and extreme reaction conditions. Titanium carbide (TiC) is a ceramic compound with several technological applications ranging from biocompatible materials to wear resistant coatings. The possibility to obtain core/shell structures expands its range of application due to the ability of modify the surface properties of the core ceramic material. TiC and metallic titanium targets have been ablated by means of an ultra-short laser source in different liquid media (water, acetone, n-hexane and toluene). The obtained colloidal solutions have been characterized by TEM, XRD and micro-Raman analysis. In all the used experimental conditions TiC nanoparticles have been produced. During water and acetone mediated ablations, the oxidation of titanium has been observed, whereas by using oxygen free solvents, such as n-hexane and toluene, core/shell TiC nanoparticles embedded in amorphous and graphitic carbon shell, respectively, have been obtained.