One of the most unique features of

One of the most unique features of the LAL technique is the extreme local conditions generated by the laser inside the ablation-induced plasma and at its boundary with the liquid medium. The plasma phase is very hot and composed of highly excited species possessing high temperature, high pressure and high density (HTHPHD). Neighboring and surrounding the plasma, the liquid phase leads to its rapid quenching. [141] This interaction between the plasma and liquid phases may therefore result in the appearance of unusual phases as products quenched extremely quickly from very high temperatures. As an example, metastable zinc peroxide (ZnO 2 ) NPs could be produced by ablating a metal zinc target in 3% H 2 O 2 . [40]Liu et al. ablated a Si target in a solution of certain inorganic salts, which facilitated the formation of Si microcubes with a zinc-blende structure. [41] By applying the same approach and using single-crystal Si substrates covered with ≈ 150 to 300 nm thick amorphous carbon as targets, the same group obtained a novel type of carbon micro- and nanocubes with a C8-like structure. [42]A high-pressure phase, the tetragonal structure of Ge, was reported to be trapped in the form of nanocrystals via the electrical-fi eld assisted LAL at ambient pressure and temperature.