Role of Dissolved and Molecular Oxygen on Cu and PtCu Alloy Particle Structure during Laser Ablation Synthesis in Liquids.

The role of molecular oxygen dissolved in the solvent is often discussed as being an influential factor on particle oxidation during pulsed laser ablation in liquids. However, the formation of the particles during laser synthesis takes place under extreme conditions that enable the decomposition of the liquid medium. Reactive species of the solvent may then affect particle formation due to a chemical reaction in the reactive plasma. Experimental results show a difference between the role of dissolved molecular oxygen and the contribution from the oxygen in water molecules. Using a metallic Cu target in air-saturated water, laser ablation led to 20.5 wt % Cu, 11.5 wt % Cu2 O, and 68 wt % CuO nanoparticles, according to X-ray diffraction results. In contrast to particles obtained in air-saturated water, no CuO was observed in the colloid synthesized in a Schlenk ablation chamber in completely oxygen-free water. Under these conditions, less-oxidized nanoparticles (25 wt % Cu and 75 wt % Cu2 O) were synthesized. The results show that nanoparticle oxidation during laser synthesis is mainly caused by reactive oxygen species from the decomposition of water molecules. However, the addition of molecular oxygen promotes particle oxidation. Storage of the Cu colloid in the presence of dissolved oxygen leads, due to aging, to nanostructures with a higher oxidation state than the freshly prepared colloid. The XRD pattern of the sample prepared in air-saturated acetone showed no crystalline phases, which is possibly due to small crystallites or low particle concentration. Concentration of the particles by centrifugation showed that in the large fraction (>20 nm), even less oxidized nanoparticles (46 wt % Cu and 54 wt % Cu2 O) were present, although the solubility of molecular oxygen is higher in acetone than in water. The nanoparticles in acetone were stable due to a Cu-catalyzed graphite layer formed on their surfaces. The influence of the solvent on alloy synthesis is also crucial. Laser ablation of PtCu3 in air-saturated water led to separated large CuO and Pt-rich spherical nanoparticles, whereas homogeneous PtCu3 alloy nanoparticles were formed in acetone.

Site-selective high-resolution X-ray absorption spectroscopy and high-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy of cobalt nanoparticles.

The special (macroscopic) properties of nanoparticles are mainly due to their large surface-to-volume ratio. Thus, the separate characterization of geometric and electronic properties of surface and bulk would be favorable for a better understanding of the properties of nanoparticles. Because of the chemical sensitivity of X-ray fluorescence lines, in particular those involving higher lying electronic states, high-resolution fluorescence-detected X-ray absorption spectra (HRFD-XAS) offer these opportunities. In this study, three types of wet-chemically synthesized Co nanoparticles, ∼6 nm in diameter with varying thicknesses of a protective shell, were investigated at the ID26 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. HRFD-XAS spectra at the Co K-edge, that is, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (HRFD-XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (HRFD-EXAFS) spectra, were recorded via detection of the Kß1,3 fluorescence at specific energies. As these spectra are only partly site-selective due to a strong overlap of the emission lines, a numerical procedure was applied based on a least-squares fitting procedure, realized by singular value decomposition. The detailed analysis of the obtained site-selective spectra, regarding chemical composition and crystallographic phase, using measured and simulated FEFF9-based reference spectra, showed that the metallic core had mainly hexagonal close-packed structure with lattice constants matching bulk Co; the spectra for the shell could be satisfactorily fitted by a mixture of CoO and CoCO3; however, with an obvious need for at least a third compound. To obtain additional information about ligands attached to Co, valence-to-core X-ray emission spectra (VTC-XES) using the Kß2,5 and the satellite structure Kß″ and VTC-XANES spectra thereof were also recorded, by which the former results are confirmed. Further on, FEFF simulations indicate that a Co-N compound is a very likely candidate for the third component. The presented results clearly show that VTC-XES and HRFD-XAS are suitable tools for the detailed specification of the core and the surface of nanoparticles, in particular upon realizing "real" site-selectivity for XANES and EXAFS with a general strategy applicable to a wide range of systems.

Synthesis and structural characterization of Se-modified carbon-supported Ru nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reaction.

This work is part of a continued research aimed at the understanding of the promoting role of Se in the enhancement of the electrocatalytic activity of Ru in the oxygen reduction reaction. The objective of this paper is to systematically investigate the transformation of Ru nanoparticles upon their modification with the increasing amounts of Se. The Se-modified Ru/C samples with Se:Ru ratio from 0 to 1 were prepared by reacting carbon-supported Ru nanoparticles with SeO2 followed by reductive annealing and characterized using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure. The results suggest that Se strongly interacts with Ru, resulting in the chemical bond between Ru and Se and formation of Ru selenide clusters whose core at low Se content can be described as Ru2Se2O0.5. At Se:Ru = 1, high-resolution electron microscopy shows evidence of formation of core-shell particles, comprising a hexagonally packed Ru core and a Ru selenide shell with lamellar morphology. Modification of Ru nanoparticles with Se enhances their electrocatalytic activity in the oxygen reduction reaction, which is explained by the role of Se in inhibiting surface oxidation.

Highly stable carbon-protected cobalt nanoparticles and graphite shells.

The fabrication of carbon-shell protected cobalt nanoparticles and hollow graphitic shells has been achieved via a pyrolysis process by using monodispersed cobalt nanoparticles as a template. These materials are mesoporous and highly stable under strong acidic and basic conditions.