Highly size-controlled synthesis of Au/Pd nanoparticles by inert-gas condensation.
Gold/Palladium nanoparticles were fabricated by inert-gas condensation on a sputtering reactor. With this method, by controlling both the atmosphere on the condensation chamber and the magnetron power, it was possible to produce nanoparticles with a high degree of monodispersity in size. The structure and size of the Au/Pd nanoparticles were determined by mass spectroscopy, and confirmed by atomic force microscopy and electron transmission microscopy measurements. The chemical composition was analyzed by X-ray microanalysis. From these measurements we confirmed that with the sputtering technique we are able to produce particles of 1, 3, and 5 nm on size, depending on the choice of the synthesis conditions. From TEM measurements made both in the regular HREM, as well as in STEM-HAADF mode, we found that the particles are icosahedral in shape, and the micrographs show no evidence of a core-shell structure, in contrast to what is observed in the case of nanoparticles prepared by chemical synthesis.
Pérez-Tijerina
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E
Laboratorio de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Físico-Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza, Nuevo León 66450, México.
Pinilla
M Gracia
MG
Mejía-Rosales
S
S
Ortiz-Méndez
U
U
Torres
A
A
José-Yacamán
M
M