title: Dopant-controlled selenization in Pd nanocrystals: the triggered Kirkendall effect.
abstract: Doping foreign impurities in host nanomaterials can induce new materials properties. In addition, doping can also influence the crystallization process and change the shape and/or phase of the host material. While dopant-induced changes in the properties of materials have been well studied, the concept of doping and its chemistry in the design of different nanostructures has rarely been investigated. In order to further understand the doping chemistry, this study investigated the dopant-controlled enhancement of the rate of the chemical reaction during the transformation from one doped material to another and the consequent effect on the shape evolution of the nanostructures. These are performed during the selenization of metal Pd(0), using Ag dopant. While the controlled process produced cuboidal Pd17Se15 from the quasi-spherical nanocrystals of Pd(0), on doping, the shape of Pd17Se15 transformed into hollow cubes. The rate was also enhanced by more than 30 times for the doped case in comparison to undoped Pd(0). Importantly, while for the undoped nanocrystals, the selenization approached in one direction, where for the doped particles, it occurred all around the nanocrystals and triggered the Kirkendall effect. Detailed investigations were conducted to elucidate the influence of the dopant on both the rate and directional approach of selenization in Pd(0), initiation of the fast diffusion of Pd, change in shape, and formation of the hollow structures. To our understanding, the role of dopants in controlling chemical processes is of fundamental importance, and this will undoubtedly broaden the scope of research on the chemistry of doping and crystal growth in solution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Center for Advanced Materials, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India 700032.
authors.forename: Amit K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Guria
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Center for Advanced Materials, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India 700032.
authors.forename: Gyanaranjan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prusty
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Center for Advanced Materials, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India 700032.
authors.forename: Biplab K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Patra
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Center for Advanced Materials, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India 700032.
authors.forename: Narayan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pradhan