Patent ID: 8858676

Claim:
A method of producing nanoparticle solutions by laser ablation, comprising: generating a plurality of groups of laser pulses, each of said groups containing 2 to 50 laser pulses and having a group repetition rate comprising from 100 to 500 kHz, wherein a time separation between consecutive pulses within each of said groups is from 1 to 30 nanoseconds, said time separation being less than a relaxation time of a lattice heat of a target material; guiding said pulses toward said target material by use of a vibration mirror, said vibration minor guiding movement of said pulses on said target material such that a focal spot of said pulses moves at a speed of greater than 0.1 meters per second across said target material; and irradiating said target material with said pulses, said target material being disposed in a liquid and said irradiation producing nanoparticles from fragmentation of said target material in said liquid, said nanoparticles having an average particle size of less than 100 nanometers.