Site-Specific Wetting of Iron Nanocubes by Gold Atoms in Gas-Phase Synthesis

Structural evolution under physical and chemical stimuli of metastable Au-Fe nanoalloys obtained by laser ablation in liquid

Metastable alloy nanoparticles are investigated for their variety of appealing properties exploitable for photonics, magnetism, catalysis and nanobiotechnology. Notably, nanophases out of thermodynamic equilibrium feature a complex "ultrastructure" leading to a dynamic evolution of composition and atomic arrangement in response to physical-chemical stimuli. In this manuscript, metastable Au-Fe alloy nanoparticles were produced by laser ablation in liquid, an emerging versatile synthetic approach for freezing multielement nanosystems in non-equilibrium conditions. The Au-Fe nanoalloys were characterized through electron microscopy, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The dynamics of the structure of the Au-Fe system was tracked at high temperature under vacuum and atmospheric conditions, evidencing the intrinsic transformative nature of the metastable nanoalloy produced by laser ablation in liquid. This dynamic structure is relevant to possible application in several fields, from photocatalysis to nanomedicine, as demonstrated through an experiment of magnetic resonance imaging in biological fluids.

Gas-phase synthesis of nanoparticles: current application challenges and instrumentation development responses

Nanoparticles constitute fundamental building blocks required in several fields of application with current global importance. To fully exploit nanoparticle properties specifically determined by the size, shape, chemical composition and interfacial configuration, rigorous nanoparticle growth and deposition control is needed. Gas-phase synthesis, in particular magnetron-sputtering inert-gas condensation, provides unique opportunities to realise engineered nanoparticles optimised for the desired use case. Here, we provide an overview of recent nanoparticle growth experiments via this technique, how the latter can meet application-specific requirements, and what challenges might impede the wide-spread adoption for scalable industrial synthesis. More specifically, we discuss the timely topics of energy, catalysis, and sensing applications enabled by gas-phase synthesised nanoparticles, as well as recently emerging advances in neuromorphic devices for unconventional computing. Having identified the most relevant challenges and limiting factors, we outline how advances in nanoparticle source instrumentation and/or in situ diagnostics can address current shortcomings. Eventually we identify common trends and directions, giving our perspective on the most promising and impactful applications of gas-phase synthesised nanoparticles in the future.

On the melting point depression, coalescence, and chemical ordering of bimetallic nanoparticles: the miscible Ni-Pt system

Among the properties that distinguish nanoparticles (NPs) from their bulk counterparts is their lower melting points. It is also common knowledge that relatively low melting points enhance the coalescence of (usually) nascent nanoclusters toward larger NPs. Finally, it is well established that the chemical ordering of bi- (or multi-) metallic NPs can have a profound effect on their physical and chemical properties, dictating their potential applications. With these three considerations in mind, we investigated the coalescence mechanisms for Ni and Pt NPs of various configurations using classical molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations. Benchmarking the coalescence process, we identified a steeper melting point depression for Pt than for Ni, which indicates a reversal in the order of melting for same-size NPs of the two elements. This reversal, also evident in the nano-phase diagram thermodynamically constructed using the regular solution model, may be useful for utilising NP coalescence as a means to design and engineer non-equilibrium NPs via gas-phase synthesis. Indeed, our MD simulations revealed different coalescence mechanisms at play depending on the conditions, leading to segregated chemical orderings such as quasi-Janus core-satellite, or core-(partial) shell NPs, despite the expected theoretical tendency for elemental mixing.

Control of nanoparticles synthesized via vacuum sputter deposition onto liquids: a review

Sputter deposition onto a low volatile liquid matrix is a recently developed green synthesis method for metal/metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs). In this review, we introduce the synthesis method and highlight its unique features emerging from the combination of the sputter deposition and the ability of the liquid matrix to regulate particle growth. Then, manipulating the synthesis parameters to control the particle size, composition, morphology, and crystal structure of NPs is presented. Subsequently, we evaluate the key experimental factors governing the particle characteristics and the formation of monometallic and alloy NPs to provide overall directions and insights into the preparation of NPs with desired properties. Following that, the current understanding of the growth and formation mechanism of sputtered particles in liquid media, in particular, ionic liquids and liquid polymers, during and after sputtering is emphasized. Finally, we discuss the challenges that remain and share our perspectives on the future prospects of the synthesis method and the obtained NPs.

Gas Phase Synthesis of Multi-Element Nanoparticles

The advantages of gas-phase synthesis of nanoparticles in terms of size control and flexibility in choice of materials is well known. There is increasing interest in synthesizing multi-element nanoparticles in order to optimize their performance in specific applications, and here, the flexibility of material choice is a key advantage. Mixtures of almost any solid materials can be manufactured and in the case of core-shell particles, there is independent control over core size and shell thickness. This review presents different methods of producing multi-element nanoparticles, including the use of multiple targets, alloy targets and in-line deposition methods to coat pre-formed cores. It also discusses the factors that produce alloy, core-shell or Janus morphologies and what is possible or not to synthesize. Some applications of multi-element nanoparticles in medicine will be described.

Progress and prospects of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in biomedical applications: A review

Nanoscience has been considered as one of the most substantial research in modern science. The utilization of nanoparticle (NP) materials provides numerous advantages in biomedical applications due to their unique properties. Among various types of nanoparticles, the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of iron oxide possess intrinsic features, which have been efficiently exploited for biomedical purposes including drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging, Magnetic-activated cell sorting, nanobiosensors, hyperthermia, and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The size and shape of nanostructures are the main factors affecting the physicochemical features of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, which play an important role in the improvement of MNP properties, and can be controlled by appropriate synthesis strategies. On the other hand, the proper modification and functionalization of the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles have significant effects on the improvement of physicochemical and mechanical features, biocompatibility, stability, and surface activity of MNPs. This review focuses on popular methods of fabrication, beneficial surface coatings with regard to the main required features for their biomedical use, as well as new applications.

Vapor-phase production of nanomaterials

The synthesis of nanomaterials, with characteristic dimensions of 1 to 100 nm, is a key component of nanotechnology. Vapor-phase synthesis of nanomaterials has numerous advantages such as high product purity, high-throughput continuous operation, and scalability that have made it the dominant approach for the commercial synthesis of nanomaterials. At the same time, this class of methods has great potential for expanded use in research and development. Here, we present a broad review of progress in vapor-phase nanomaterial synthesis. We describe physically-based vapor-phase synthesis methods including inert gas condensation, spark discharge generation, and pulsed laser ablation; plasma processing methods including thermal- and non-thermal plasma processing; and chemically-based vapor-phase synthesis methods including chemical vapor condensation, flame-based aerosol synthesis, spray pyrolysis, and laser pyrolysis. In addition, we summarize the nanomaterials produced by each method, along with representative applications, and describe the synthesis of the most important materials produced by each method in greater detail.

Octahedral Growth of PtPd Nanocrystals

PtPd nanoparticles are among the most widely studied nanoscale systems, mainly because of their applications as catalysts in chemical reactions. In this work, a combined experimental-theoretical study is presented about the dependence of growth shape of PtPd alloy nanocrystals on their composition. The particles are grown in the gas phase and characterized by STEM-HRTEM. PtPd nanoalloys present a bimodal size distribution. The size of the larger population can be tuned between 3.8 ± 0.4 and 14.1 ± 2.0 nm by controlling the deposition parameters. A strong dependence of the particle shape on the composition is found: Pd-rich nanocrystals present more rounded shapes whereas Pt-rich ones exhibit sharp tips. Molecular dynamics simulations and excess energy calculations show that the growth structures are out of equilibrium. The growth simulations are able to follow the growth shape evolution and growth pathways at the atomic level, reproducing the structures in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally the optical absorption properties are calculated for PtPd nanoalloys of the same shapes and sizes grown in our experiments.

Continuous gas-phase synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles via surface segregation

Synthesis methods of highly functional core@shell nanoparticles with high throughput and high purity are in great demand for applications, including catalysis and optoelectronics. Traditionally chemical synthesis has been widely explored, but recently, gas-phase methods have attracted attention since such methods can provide a more flexible choice of materials and altogether avoid solvents. Here, we demonstrate that Cu@Ag core-shell nanoparticles with well-controlled size and compositional variance can be generated via surface segregation using spark ablation with an additional heating step, which is a continuous gas-phase process. The characterization of the nanoparticles reveals that the Cu-Ag agglomerates generated by spark ablation adopt core-shell or quasi-Janus structures depending on the compaction temperature used to transform the agglomerates into spherical particles. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations verify that the structural evolution is caused by heat-induced surface segregation. With the incorporated heat treatment that acts as an annealing and equilibrium cooling step after the initial nucleation and growth processes in the spark ablation, the presented method is suitable for creating nanoparticles with both uniform size and composition and uniform bimetallic configuration. We confirm the compositional uniformity between particles by analyzing compositional variance of individual particles rather than presenting an ensemble-average of many particles. This gas-phase synthesis method can be employed for generating other bi- or multi-metallic nanoparticles with the predicted configuration of the structure from the surface energy and atomic size of the elements.

Measuring transferability issues in machine-learning force fields: the example of gold–iron interactions with linearized potentials

Machine-learning force fields have been increasingly employed in order to extend the possibility of current first-principles calculations. However, the transferability of the obtained potential cannot always be guaranteed in situations that are outside the original database. To study such limitation, we examined the very difficult case of the interactions in gold–iron nanoparticles. For the machine-learning potential, we employed a linearized formulation that is parameterized using a penalizing regression scheme which allows us to control the complexity of the obtained potential. We showed that while having a more complex potential allows for a better agreement with the training database, it can also lead to overfitting issues and a lower accuracy in untrained systems.

Physical and Chemical Synthesis of Au/CeO2 Nanoparticle Catalysts for Room Temperature CO Oxidation: A Comparative Study

In many heterogeneous catalytic reactions, such as low-temperature CO oxidation, the preparation conditions, and the role of the CeO2 support (oxygen vacancies and redox properties) in the dispersion and the chemical state of Au, are considered critical factors for obtaining gold nanoparticle catalysts with high catalytic performance. In this work, the physical and chemical preparation methods were compared, aiming at understanding how the preparation method influences the catalytic activity. The Au/CeO2 nanoparticle catalysts with 5% Au loading were prepared via the Physical Laser Vaporization Controlled Condensation method (LVCC), and the chemical Deposition-Precipitation method (DP) was used to investigate the effect of synthesis methods on the structure and the catalytic activity toward the CO oxidation. In this manuscript, we compare the activity of nanostructured Au/CeO2 catalysts. The structure and the redox properties of the catalysts were investigated by the XRD, SEM, TEM, TPR, and XPS. The catalytic activity for low-temperature CO oxidation was studied using a custom-built quartz tube flow reactor coupled with an infrared detector system at atmospheric pressure. The study reveals that the prepared CeO2-supported Au nanoparticles’ catalytic activity was highly dependent on the preparation methods. It showed that the sample prepared by the DP method exhibits higher catalytic efficiency toward CO oxidation when compared with the sample prepared by the LVCC method. The high catalytic activity could be attributed to the small particle size and shape, slightly higher Au concentration at the surface, surface-active Au species such as Au1+, along with the large interface between Au and CeO2. This study suggests that the stability, dispersion of Au nanoparticles on CeO2, and strong interaction between Au and CeO2 lead to strong oxidation ability even below room temperature. Considering the universal character of different physical and chemical methods for Au/CeO2 preparation, this study may also provide a base for supported Au-based catalysts for many oxidation reactions in energy and environmental applications.

Core-Satellite Gold Nanoparticle Complexes Grown by Inert Gas-Phase Condensation

Spontaneous growth of complexes consisted of a number of individual nanoparticles in a controlled manner, particularly in demanding environments of gas-phase synthesis, is a fascinating opportunity for numerous potential applications. Here, we report the formation of such core-satellite gold nanoparticle structures grown by magnetron sputtering inert gas condensation. Combining high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and computational simulations, we reveal the adhesive and screening role of H2O molecules in formation of stable complexes consisted of one nanoparticle surrounded by smaller satellites. A single layer of H2O molecules, condensed between large and small gold nanoparticles, stabilizes positioning of nanoparticles with respect to one another during milliseconds of the synthesis time. The lack of isolated small gold nanoparticles on the substrate is explained by Brownian motion that is significantly broader for small-size particles. It is inferred that H2O as an admixture in the inert gas condensation opens up possibilities of controlling the final configuration of the different noble metal nanoparticles.

4D Multimodal Nanomedicines Made of Nonequilibrium Au-Fe Alloy Nanoparticles

Several examples of nanosized therapeutic and imaging agents have been proposed to date, yet for most of them there is a low chance of clinical translation due to long-term in vivo retention and toxicity risks. The realization of nanoagents that can be removed from the body after use remains thus a great challenge. Here, we demonstrate that nonequilibrium gold-iron alloys behave as shape-morphing nanocrystals with the properties of self-degradable multifunctional nanomedicines. DFT calculations combined with mixing enthalpy-weighted alloying simulations predict that Au-Fe solid solutions can exhibit self-degradation in an aqueous environment if the Fe content exceeds a threshold that depends upon element topology in the nanocrystals. Exploiting a laser-assisted synthesis route, we experimentally confirm that nonequilibrium Au-Fe nanoalloys have a 4D behavior, that is, the ability to change shape, size, and structure over time, becoming ultrasmall Au-rich nanocrystals. In vivo tests show the potential of these transformable Au-Fe nanoalloys as efficient multimodal contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging and computed X-ray absorption tomography and further demonstrate their self-degradation over time, with a significant reduction of long-term accumulation in the body, when compared to benchmark gold or iron oxide contrast agents. Hence, Au-Fe alloy nanoparticles exhibiting 4D behavior can respond to the need for safe and degradable inorganic multifunctional nanomedicines required in clinical translation.

How interface properties control the equilibrium shape of core-shell Fe-Au and Fe-Ag nanoparticles

While combining two metals in the same nanoparticle can lead to remarkable novel applications, the resulting structure in terms of crystallinity and shape remains difficult to predict. It is thus essential to provide a detailed atomistic picture of the underlying growth processes. In the present work we address the case of core-shell Fe-Au and Fe-Ag nanoparticles. Interface properties between Fe and the noble metals Au and Ag, computed using DFT, were used to parameterize Fe-Au and Fe-Ag pairwise interactions in combination with available many-body potentials for the pure elements. The growth of Au or Ag shells on nanometric Fe cores with prescribed shapes was then modelled by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The shape of the obtained Fe-Au nanoparticles is found to strongly evolve with the amount of metal deposited on the Fe core, a transition from the polyhedral Wulff shape of bare iron to a cubic shape taking place as the amount of deposited gold exceeds two monolayers. In striking contrast, the growth of silver proceeds in a much more anisotropic, Janus-like way and with a lesser dependence on the iron core shape. In both cases, the predicted morphologies are found to be in good agreement with experimental observations in which the nanoparticles are grown by physical deposition methods. Understanding the origin of these differences, which can be traced back to subtle variations in the electronic structure of the Au/Fe and Ag/Fe interfaces, should further contribute to the better design of core-shell bimetallic nanoparticles.

Scale-Up of Cluster Beam Deposition to the Gram Scale with the Matrix Assembly Cluster Source for Heterogeneous Catalysis (Catalytic Ozonation of Nitrophenol in Aqueous Solution)

The deposition of precisely controlled clusters from the beam onto suitable supports represents a novel method to prepare advanced cluster-based catalysts. In principle, cluster size, composition, and morphology can be tuned or selected prior to deposition. The newly invented matrix assembly cluster source (MACS) offers one solution to the long-standing problem of low cluster deposition rate. Demonstrations of the cluster activities under realistic reaction conditions are now needed. We deposited elemental silver (Ag) and gold (Au) clusters onto gram-scale powders of commercial titanium dioxide (TiO₂) to investigate the catalytic oxidation of nitrophenol (a representative pollutant in water) by ozone in aqueous solution, as relevant to the removal of waste drugs from the water supply. A range of techniques, including scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area test, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were employed to reveal the catalyst size, morphology, surface area, and oxidation state. Both the Ag and Au cluster catalysts proved active for the nitrophenol ozonation. The cluster catalysts showed activities at least comparable to those of catalysts made by traditional chemical methods in the literature, demonstrating the potential applications of the cluster beam deposition method for practical heterogeneous catalysis in solution.

Gas-Phase Synthesis for Label-Free Biosensors: Zinc-Oxide Nanowires Functionalized with Gold Nanoparticles

Metal oxide semiconductor nanowires have important applications in label-free biosensing due to their ease of fabrication and ultralow detection limits. Typically, chemical functionalization of the oxide surface is necessary for specific biological analyte detection. We instead demonstrate the use of gas-phase synthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) to decorate zinc oxide nanowire (ZnO NW) devices for biosensing applications. Uniform ZnO NW devices were fabricated using a vapor-solid-liquid method in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace. Magnetron-sputtering of a Au target combined with a quadrupole mass filter for cluster size selection was used to deposit Au NPs on the ZnO NWs. Without additional functionalization, we electrically detect DNA binding on the nanowire at sub-nanomolar concentrations and visualize individual DNA strands using atomic force microscopy (AFM). By attaching a DNA aptamer for streptavidin to the biosensor, we detect both streptavidin and the complementary DNA strand at sub-nanomolar concentrations. Au NP decoration also enables sub-nanomolar DNA detection in passivated ZnO NWs that are resilient to dissolution in aqueous solutions. This novel method of biosensor functionalization can be applied to many semiconductor materials for highly sensitive and label-free detection of a wide range of biomolecules.