Surface chemistry of colloidal surfactant-free gold nanoparticles generated by laser ablation

Surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles produced by laser ablation in liquids has been investigated using synchrotron radiation and the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy technique. Thanks to the recorded core-level and valence spectra, combined with a detailed analysis based on Bayesian statistical methods, the oxide presence and its proportion on the nanoparticle surface have been determined.