Synthesis of Single-Crystal Gold Nanosheets of Large Size in Ionic Liquids

Microwave Encounters Ionic Liquid: Synergistic Mechanism, Synthesis and Emerging Applications

Progress in microwave (MW) energy application technology has stimulated remarkable advances in manufacturing and high-quality applications of ionic liquids (ILs) that are generally used as novel media in chemical engineering. This Review focuses on an emerging technology via the combination of MW energy and the usage of ILs, termed microwave-assisted ionic liquid (MAIL) technology. In comparison to conventional routes that rely on heat transfer through media, the contactless and unique MW heating exploits the electromagnetic wave-ions interactions to deliver energy to IL molecules, accelerating the process of material synthesis, catalytic reactions, and so on. In addition to the inherent advantages of ILs, including outstanding solubility, and well-tuned thermophysical properties, MAIL technology has exhibited great potential in process intensification to meet the requirement of efficient, economic chemical production. Here we start with an introduction to principles of MW heating, highlighting fundamental mechanisms of MW induced process intensification based on ILs. Next, the synergies of MW energy and ILs employed in materials synthesis, as well as their merits, are documented. The emerging applications of MAIL technologies are summarized in the next sections, involving tumor therapy, organic catalysis, separations, and bioconversions. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities of this emerging technology are discussed.

Two-Dimensional Metal Nanostructures: From Theoretical Understanding to Experiment

This paper reviews recent studies on the preparation of two-dimensional (2D) metal nanostructures, particularly nanosheets. As metal often exists in the high-symmetry crystal phase, such as face centered cubic structures, reducing the symmetry is often needed for the formation of low-dimensional nanostructures. Recent advances in characterization and theory allow for a deeper understanding of the formation of 2D nanostructures. This Review firstly describes the relevant theoretical framework to help the experimentalists understand chemical driving forces for the synthesis of 2D metal nanostructures, followed by examples on the shape control of different metals. Recent applications of 2D metal nanostructures, including catalysis, bioimaging, plasmonics, and sensing, are discussed. We end the Review with a summary and outlook of the challenges and opportunities in the design, synthesis, and application of 2D metal nanostructures.

Crumpled Versus Flat Gold Nanosheets: Temperature-Regulated Synthesis and Their Plasmonic and Catalytic Properties

We report a high-yield synthesis of gold (Au) nanosheets with tunable size and surface morphology in the aqueous phase. In particular, crumpled and flat Au nanosheets with a thickness of ∼10 nm could be selectively produced in high purity when the reaction was conducted at room temperature and in an ice-water bath, respectively. Unlike Au nanoplates/nanoprisms in the form of well-defined triangles or hexagons documented in previous studies, the current products exhibit random in-plane branches or holes, together with wavy edges. Strong absorbance in the NIR region was observed for all the Au nanosheet products. When serving as electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction, the current products exhibited an enhanced activity and operation stability, as compared to quasi-spherical counterparts.

Metal Sulfide Nanoparticle Synthesis with Ionic Liquids - State of the Art and Future Perspectives

Metal sulfides are among the most promising materials for a wide variety of technologically relevant applications ranging from energy to environment and beyond. Incidentally, ionic liquids (ILs) have been among the top research subjects for the same applications and also for inorganic materials synthesis. As a result, the exploitation of the peculiar properties of ILs for metal sulfide synthesis could provide attractive new avenues for the generation of new, highly specific metal sulfides for numerous applications. This article therefore describes current developments in metal sulfide nanoparticle synthesis as exemplified by a number of highlight examples. Moreover, the article demonstrates how ILs have been used in metal sulfide synthesis and discusses the benefits of using ILs over more traditional approaches. Finally, the article demonstrates some technological challenges and how ILs could be used to further advance the production and specific property engineering of metal sulfide nanomaterials, again based on a number of selected examples.

Crystal phase effect upon O2 activation on gold surfaces through intrinsic strain

Crystal phase engineering is a promising strategy to tune the catalytic performance of metal nanomaterials. Generally, the crystal phase effect on catalysis is ascribed to distinct surface atomic arrangements of catalysts with different crystal phases. Here we show that even for similar surfaces, such as the close-packed surfaces, different crystal phases have considerably different surface reactivities due to their distinct intrinsic surface strains. Using first-principles calculations, we find that the close-packed surfaces of hexagonal close-packed (HCP) and double HCP (4H) gold have significantly smaller intrinsic strains (∼1.3%) than those of face-centered cubic (FCC) gold (∼2.3%). These distinct intrinsic surface strains result in various oxygen adsorption energies and O2 dissociation barriers on these close-packed gold surfaces, and the dissociation of O2 on different crystal phases and surfaces follows the Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi principle.

Microwave-assisted Synthesis of Hexagonal Gold Nanoparticles Reduced by Organosilane (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane

A novel synthesis of hexagonal gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) via hydrolyzed organosilane (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) using an ultrafast and environmentally friendly method is presented in this study. For the first time, organosilane MPTMS is used for chemical reduction of auric acid under ultrafast microwave irradiation. To the best of our knowledge, the use of organosilane for the synthesis of Au NPs has not been reported. The entire one-step process is convenient, rapid and cost-effective, as well as eco-friendly under alcohol-free aqueous media. Different characterization methods were carried out to investigate the properties of synthesized gold nanoparticles. transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the morphology of as-synthesized Au NPs, while X-ray powder diffraction was applied to obtain the crystalline nature. Nuclear magnetic resonance was used to track the hydrolysis of organosilane MPTMS, which is employed for the first time as a reducing agent for the synthesis of Au NPs. The impact from microwave irradiation time and power, as well as the catalytic property of as-synthesized Au NPs, was investigated via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The as-synthesized products include gold nanohexagon and two-dimensional hexagonal gold nanoplatelets, both of which are single-crystal with (1 1 1) planes as basal surfaces. From UV-vis spectra, it is found that the facile water-based fabrication of hexagonal Au NPs began within seconds of microwave irradiation and the size growth increased with the microwave power and time. Moreover, the efficient reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of as-synthesized Au NPs was observed, exhibiting a remarkable catalytic activity. The present simple, rapid and convenient one-step microwave process possess high scalability and useful for future applications such as catalysis, medical, biological, plasmonic sensors and electronics.

Photochemical Synthesis and Catalytic Applications of Gold Nanoplates Fabricated Using Quercetin Diphosphate Macromolecules

The demand for safer design and synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is on the increase with the ultimate goal of producing clean nanomaterials for biological applications. We hereby present a rapid, greener, and photochemical synthesis of gold nanoplates with sizes ranging from 10 to 200 nm using water-soluble quercetin diphosphate (QDP) macromolecules. The synthesis was achieved in water without the use of surfactants, reducing agents, or polymers. The edge length of the triangular nanoplates ranged from 50 to 1200 nm. Furthermore, the reduction of methylene blue was used to investigate the catalytic activity of AuNPs. The catalytic activity of triangular AuNPs was three times higher than that of the spherical AuNPs based on kinetic rate constants (k). The rate constants were 3.44 × 10^-2 and 1.11 × 10^-2 s^-1 for triangular and spherical AuNPs, respectively. The X-ray diffraction data of gold nanoplates synthesized by this method exhibited that the nanocrystals were mainly dominated by (111) facets which are in agreement to the nanoplates synthesized by using thermal and chemical approaches. The calculated relative diffraction peak intensity of (200), (220), and (311) in comparison with (111) was found to be 0.35, 0.17, and 0.15, respectively, which were lower than the corresponding standard values (JCPDS 04-0784). For example, (200)/(111) = 0.35 compared to 0.52 obtained from the standard (JCPDS 04-0784), indicating that the gold nanoplates are dominated by (111) facets. The calculated lattice from selected area electron diffraction data of the as-synthesized and after 1 year nanoplates was 4.060 and 4.088 Å, respectively. Our calculations were found to be in agreement with 4.078 Å for face-centered cubic gold (JCPDS 04-0784) and literature values of 4.07 Å. The computed QDP-Au complex demonstrated that the reduction process took place in the B ring of QDP. This approach contributes immensely to promoting the ideals of sustainable nanotechnology by eradicating the use of hazardous and toxic organic solvents.

New Developments in Material Preparation Using a Combination of Ionic Liquids and Microwave Irradiation

During recent years, synthetic methods combining microwaves and ionic liquids became accepted as a promising methodology for various materials preparations because of their high efficiency and low energy consumption. Ionic liquids with high polarity are heated rapidly, volumetrically and simultaneously under microwave irradiation. Hence, combination of microwave irradiation as a heating source with ionic liquids with various roles (e.g., solvent, additive, template or reactant) opened a completely new technique in the last twenty years for nanomaterials and polymers preparation for applications in various materials science fields including polymer science. This review summarizes recent developments of some common materials syntheses using microwave-assisted ionic liquid method with a focus on inorganic nanomaterials, polymers, carbon-derived composites and biomass-based composites. After that, the mechanisms involved in microwave-assisted ionic-liquid (MAIL) are discussed briefly. This review also highlights the role of ionic liquids in the reaction and crucial issues that should be addressed in future research involving this synthesis technique.

2D-Single-crystal hexagonal gold nanosheets for ultra-trace voltammetric determination of captopril

Two dimensional single-crystal hexagonal gold nanosheets (SCHGNSs) were prepared by microwave heating of a solution of HAuCl₄ in an ionic liquid. The SCHGNSs were characterized by field emission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The SCHGNSs were then used to modify a graphite paste electrode for voltammetric determination of the hypertension drug captopril (CAP). The modified electrode showed a well-defined oxidation peak (at 0.41 V vs. Ag/AgCl) at pH 7.0 using differential pulse voltammetry. Under the optimum conditions, the response is linear in the 2-400 nM and 4.0-50 μM CAP concentration range, and the detection limit (at S/N = 3) is 0.3 nM. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of CAP in pharmaceutical tablets and in spiked urine. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the preparation of single crystal hexagonal gold nanosheets and their use to modify a carbon paste electrode for ultra-trace voltammetric determination of the drug captopril.

p-Phosphonic acid calix[8]arene mediated synthesis of ultra-large, ultra-thin, single-crystal gold nanoplatelets

Large, ultrathin, single-crystal gold platelets are produced in the presence of p-phosphonic acid calix[8]arene as both a catalyst and stabiliser.

Ionic-Liquid-Assisted One-Step Synthesis of CoO Nanosheets as Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) hinders the development of electrocatalytic water splitting for energy conversion and storage. Therefore, it is imperative to explore the cost-effective and highly efficient noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for OER. Herein, we are introducing such OER electrocatalyst based on Co, fabricated through an ionic-liquid-assisted one-step synthesis, where ionic liquid played a dual role as solvent cum structure-directing agent. Besides possessing large-accessible surface area and numerous active sites, the as-prepared stable CoO nanosheets exhibited excellent electrochemical activity through establishing an extensive contact with the electrolyte. Under alkaline conditions, the overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 is only 320 mV, and the Tafel slope is as small as 70 mV dec^-1. Thus, our work provides a new pathway for designing and engineering the highly efficient non-noble metal OER electrocatalysts by using ionic liquids.

Two-Dimensional Metal Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications

As one unique group of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, 2D metal nanomaterials have drawn increasing attention owing to their intriguing physiochemical properties and broad range of promising applications. In this Review, we briefly introduce the general synthetic strategies applied to 2D metal nanomaterials, followed by describing in detail the various synthetic methods classified in two categories, i.e. bottom-up methods and top-down methods. After introducing the unique physical and chemical properties of 2D metal nanomaterials, the potential applications of 2D metal nanomaterials in catalysis, surface enhanced Raman scattering, sensing, bioimaging, solar cells, and photothermal therapy are discussed in detail. Finally, the challenges and opportunities in this promising research area are proposed.

Enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of BiOBr by in situ reactable ionic liquid modification for pollutant degradation

In this study, hierarchical BiOBr microspheres were synthesized via a one-pot solvothermal method in the presence of imidazole ionic liquids. The resultant samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, PL, EPR, EIS and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The photoactivity of BiOBr was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) and tetracycline hydrochloride. Oxygen vacancies were detected in the system and proven to be correlated with the activity of the catalyst. It was also revealed that BiOBr microspheres prepared by 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide at 433 K for 8 hours displayed a superior performance compared to the other samples in the degradation of model organic contaminants. After 4.5 hours of reaction, the highest degradation efficiency of 94.0% was achieved by BiOBr-C4-Br. Stronger photoluminescence spectral intensities could be obtained as the cationic chain lengths of the ionic liquids reduced gradually. According to our experiments, the better performance of BiOBr-C4-Br in the degradation of model pollutants can be attributed to the effect of oxygen vacancies. The findings of our work may have important implications for the design of BiOBr.

Fully Elastic Conductive Films from Viscoelastic Composites

We investigated, for the first time, the conditions where a thermoplastic conductive composite can exhibit completely reversible stretchability at high elongational strains (ε = 1.8). We studied a composite of Au nanosheets and a polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polystyrene block copolymer as an example. The composite had an outstandingly low sheet resistance (0.45 Ω/sq). We found that when a thin thermoplastic composite film is placed on a relatively thicker chemically cross-linked elastomer film, it can follow the reversible elastic behavior of the bottom elastomer. Such elasticity comes from the restoration of the block copolymer microstructure. The strong adhesion of the thermoplastic polymer to the metallic fillers is advantageous in the fabrication of mechanically robust, highly conductive, stretchable electrodes. The chemical stability of the Au composite was used to fabricate high luminescence, stretchable electrochemiluminescence displays with a conventional top-bottom electrode setup and with a horizontal electrode setup.

Writing on Nanocrystals: Patterning Colloidal Inorganic Nanocrystal Films through Irradiation-Induced Chemical Transformations of Surface Ligands

In the past couple of decades, colloidal inorganic nanocrystals (NCs) and, more specifically, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as crucial materials for the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, with applications in very diverse areas such as optoelectronics and biotechnology. Films made of inorganic NCs deposited on a substrate can be patterned by e-beam lithography, altering the structure of their capping ligands and thus allowing exposed areas to remain on the substrate while non-exposed areas are redispersed in a solvent, as in a standard lift-off process. This methodology can be described as a "direct" lithography process, since the exposure is performed directly on the material of interest, in contrast with conventional lithography which uses a polymeric resist as a mask for subsequent material deposition (or etching). A few reports from the late 1990s and early 2000s used such direct lithography to fabricate electrical wires from metallic NCs. However, the poor conductivity obtained through this process hindered the widespread use of the technique. In the early 2010s, the same method was used to define fluorescent patterns on QD films, allowing for further applications in biosensing. For the past 2-3 years, direct lithography on NC films with e-beams and X-rays has gone through an important development as it has been demonstrated that it can tune further transformations on the NCs, leading to more complex patternings and opening a whole new set of possible applications. This Perspective summarizes the findings of the past 20 years on direct lithography on NC films with a focus on the latest developments on QDs from 2014 and provides different potential future outcomes of this promising technique.

Elemental two-dimensional nanosheets beyond graphene

The recent progress of elemental two-dimensional nanosheets, beyond graphene, has been summarized with the focus on their preparation and applications.

Ionic liquids for nano- and microstructures preparation. Part 1: Properties and multifunctional role

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a broad group of organic salts of varying structure and properties, used in energy conversion and storage, chemical analysis, separation processes, as well as in the preparation of particles in nano- and microscale. In material engineering, ionic liquids are applied to synthesize mainly metal nanoparticles and 3D semiconductor microparticles. They could generally serve as a structuring agent or as a reaction medium (solvent). This review deals with the resent progress in general understanding of the ILs role in particle growth and stabilization and the application of ionic liquids for nano- and microparticles synthesis. The first part of the paper is focused on the interactions between ionic liquids and growing particles. The stabilization of growing particles by steric hindrance, electrostatic interaction, solvation forces, viscous stabilization, and ability of ILs to serve as a soft template is detailed discussed. For the first time, the miscellaneous role of the ILs in nano- and microparticle preparation composed of metals as well as semiconductors is collected, and the formation mechanisms are graphically presented and discussed based on their structure and selected properties. The second part of the paper gives a comprehensive overview of recent experimental studies dealing with the applications of ionic liquids for preparation of metal and semiconductor-based nano- and microparticles. A wide spectrum of preparation routes using ionic liquids are presented, including precipitation, sol-gel technique, hydrothermal method, nanocasting, and microwave or ultrasound-mediated methods.

Ionic liquid-assisted strategy for bismuth-rich bismuth oxybromides nanosheets with superior visible light-driven photocatalytic removal of bisphenol-A

Novel Bi4O5Br2 photocatalysts were synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal method in the presence of reactable ionic liquid 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C16mim]Br). X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and other characterizations were applied to investigate their structures, morphologies, optical and electronic properties. Bisphenol-A (BPA) was chosen to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of Bi4O5Br2 nanosheets. After the visible light irradiation, about 91.2% of BPA were removed by Bi4O5Br2 after 3.5h with the reaction rate constant of 0.01086, which is much higher than that of the pure BiOBr (24.4%). Liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique was used to track the intermediates species, showing the photocatalytic mechanism is related to photogenerated holes instead of hydroxyl radicals. The as-prepared Bi4O5Br2 also exhibited excellent stability as well as reusability, implying a great promising practical application for the photodegradation of organic pollutants.

Synthesis of Functional Nanomaterials in Ionic Liquids

Utilization of ionic liquids (ILs) in material synthesis is a promising field. The unusual properties of ILs provide new opportunities for the design of functional materials, and much excellent work has been reported. Here, the progress in material design and synthesis using ILs, especially nanomaterials, is discussed, including the unitization of ILs as synthetic media, templates, precursors, or components in the synthesis of various categories of nanomaterials. The challenges and opportunities in this interesting and rapid developing area are also discussed.

Vapor-phase preparation of single-crystalline thin gold microplates using HAuCl4 as the precursor for plasmonic applications

Vapor-phase preparation of single-crystalline thin gold microplates and their application in defining high-quality plasmonic nanostructures.

Gold nanosheets synthesized with red marine alga Actinotrichia fragilis as efficient electrocatalysts toward formic acid oxidation

In this study, gold nanosheets were synthesized with red marine alga (Actinotrichia fragilis) collected from Persian Gulf and used as an electrocatalyst for oxidation of formic acid.

Ionic liquids for nano- and microstructures preparation. Part 2: Application in synthesis

Ionic liquids (ILs) are widely applied to prepare metal nanoparticles and 3D semiconductor microparticles. Generally, they serve as a structuring agent or reaction medium (solvent), however it was also demonstrated that ILs can play a role of a co-solvent, metal precursor, reducing as well as surface modifying agent. The crucial role and possible types of interactions between ILs and growing particles have been presented in the Part 1 of this review paper. Part 2 of the paper gives a comprehensive overview of recent experimental studies dealing with application of ionic liquids for preparation of metal and semiconductor based nano- and microparticles. A wide spectrum of preparation routes using ionic liquids is presented, including precipitation, sol-gel technique, hydrothermal method, nanocasting and ray-mediated methods (microwave, ultrasound, UV-radiation and γ-radiation). It was found that ionic liquids formed of a 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium [BMIM] combined with tetrafluoroborate [BF4], hexafluorophosphate [PF6], and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide [Tf2N] are the most often used ILs in the synthesis of nano- and microparticles, due to their low melting temperature, low viscosity and good transportation properties. Nevertheless, examples of other IL classes with intrinsic nanoparticles stabilizing abilities such as phosphonium and ammonium derivatives are also presented. Experimental data revealed that structure of ILs (both anion and cation type) affects the size and shape of formed metal particles, and in some cases may even determine possibility of particles formation. The nature of the metal precursor determines its affinity to polar or nonpolar domains of ionic liquid, and therefore, the size of the nanoparticles depends on the size of these regions. Ability of ionic liquids to form varied extended interactions with particle precursor as well as other compounds presented in the reaction media (water, organic solvents etc.) provides nano- and microstructures with different morphologies (0D nanoparticles, 1D nanowires, rods, 2D layers, sheets, and 3D features of molecules). ILs interact efficiently with microwave irradiation, thus even small amount of IL can be employed to increase the dielectric constant of nonpolar solvents used in the synthesis. Thus, combining the advantages of ionic liquids and ray-mediated methods resulted in the development of new ionic liquid-assisted synthesis routes. One of the recently proposed approaches of semiconductor particles preparation is based on the adsorption of semiconductor precursor molecules at the surface of micelles built of ionic liquid molecules playing a role of a soft template for growing microparticles.

Interactional behavior of the polyelectrolyte poly sodium 4-styrene sulphonate (NaPSS) with imidazolium based surface active ionic liquids in an aqueous medium

The present study aims to develop an understanding of the interactions between an anionic polyelectrolyte, poly sodium 4-styrene sulphonate (NaPSS), and cationic surface active imidazolium based ionic liquids (SAILs), [Cnmim][Cl] (n = 10, 12, 14) using a multi-technique approach. Various physicochemical and electrochemical techniques such as surface tension, conductivity, fluorescence, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), turbidity, potentiometry, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) are employed to obtain comprehensive information about NaPSS-SAIL interactions. Different stages of interaction, corresponding to the critical aggregation concentration (cac), critical saturation concentration (Cs) and critical micelle concentration (cmc) have been observed owing to the strong electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, and the results obtained from different techniques complement each other very well. The results extracted from DLS and turbidity measurements clearly indicated that the size of the micelle like aggregates first decreases and then increases in the presence of polyelectrolyte. The binding isotherms obtained using potentiometry show a concentration dependence and the highly co-operative nature of the interactions which is attributed to aggregation of the polyelectrolyte-SAIL complexes. The diffusion coefficients (Dm) of the electroactive probe in the pure and NaPSS-SAIL mixed systems were obtained, which were further used to obtain the values of the micellar self-diffusion coefficients (D) and inter-micellar interaction parameters (kd).

Nacre-like calcium carbonate controlled by ionic liquid/graphene oxide composite template

Nacre-like calcium carbonate nanostructures have been mediated by an ionic liquid (IL)-graphene oxide (GO) composite template. The resultant crystals were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD). The results showed that either 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM]BF4) or graphene oxide can act as a soft template for calcium carbonate formation with unusual morphologies. Based on the time-dependent morphology changes of calcium carbonate particles, it is concluded that nacre-like calcium carbonate nanostructures can be formed gradually utilizing [BMIM]BF4/GO composite template. During the process of calcium carbonate formation, [BMIM]BF4 acted not only as solvents but also as morphology templates for the fabrication of calcium carbonate materials with nacre-like morphology. Based on the observations, the possible mechanisms were also discussed.

A seed-less method for synthesis of ultra-thin gold nanosheets by using a deep eutectic solvent and gum arabic and their electrocatalytic application

Ultra-thin and large gold nanosheets were easily synthesized by using a deep eutectic solvent as a reducing and directing agent with gum arabic as a stabilizer and shape-controlling agent through a seed-less protocol.

A strong charge-transfer effect in surface-enhanced Raman scattering induced by valence electrons of actinide elements

The 6d electrons of Ac atom involved in excited transitions induce a strong CT-SERS enhancement which can be tuned by changing the conformation of pyridine-Ac@Au₇ complexes.

Hanoi tower-like multilayered ultrathin palladium nanosheets

This paper describes the synthesis, formation mechanism, and mechanical property of multilayered ultrathin Pd nanosheets. An anisotropic, Hanoi Tower-like assembly of Pd nanosheets was identified by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These nanosheets may contain ultrathin Pd layers, down to single unit cell thickness. Selected area electron diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy data show the interconnected atomically thick layers stacking vertically with rotational mismatches, resulting in unique diffractions and Moiré patterns. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation with van der Waals correction (DFT+vdW) shows the adsorption of Pd4(CO)4(OAc)4 on Pd(110) surface (Ead = -5.68 eV) is much stronger than that on Pd(100) (Ead = -4.72 eV) or on Pd(111) (Ead = -3.80 eV). The adsorption strength of this Pd complex is significantly stronger than that of CO on the same Pd surfaces. The DFT+vdW calculation results suggest a new mechanism for the observed anisotropic growth of nanosheets with unusually high aspect ratio, in which the competitive adsorptions between Pd4(CO)4(OAc)4 complex and CO on various surfaces result in a favored growth along the ⟨110⟩ directions and inhibition along ⟨111⟩ directions. The mechanical property of these multilayered Pd nanosheets was studied using AFM and nanoindentation techniques, which indicate multilayered nanosheets show more plastic deformation than the bulk in response to an applied force.

The role of structural and fluidic aspects of room temperature ionic liquids in influencing the morphology of CdSe nano/microstructures grown in situ

RTILs as media to synthesize a variety of nanomaterials are gaining momentum owing to their unique physicochemical properties. However, the fundamental questions regarding the role of the inherent structure of the IL in directing the morphology and the growth mechanism of the nanoparticles are still unexplored. Therefore, an attempt was made in this respect wherein CdSe nanoparticles were synthesized in a neat room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium ethylsulfate ([EMIM][EtSO4]), under ambient conditions. The IL was found to play three roles, as a solvent, as a stabilizing agent and as a shape directing template. The primary nanoparticles were of the sizes in the range of 2-5 nm, as determined by HR-TEM. These primary nanoparticles grow into nanoflake-like units which further self-assemble and transform into a mixture of anisotropic nanostructures (predominantly 2D sheets and flower-like 3D patterns) as revealed by the SEM studies. The co-existence as well as the stability of these nanomorphologies point towards the intrinsic microheterogeneity prevailing in the IL. Furthermore, the vibrational spectroscopic studies comprising of FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy clearly indicate a sort of accord involving the π-π stacked aromatic geometry and the hydrogen bonding network (between the cation and the anion) of the IL with the CdSe nanoparticles. Therefore, a suitable mechanism has been provided for the resulting anisotropic nanostructures on the basis of the structural and the fluidic aspects of the IL in conjunction with the surface properties of the transient morphologies involved in the process. To further supplement this, control experiments were facilitated by diluting the IL with different amounts of water and the morphology of the CdSe nanostructures was examined at respective mole fractions of water as well as at different time intervals.

Hierarchical foam of exposed ultrathin nickel nanosheets supported on chainlike Ni-nanowires and the derivative chalcogenide for enhanced pseudocapacitance

Foamlike nickel hierarchical structures of ultrathin nanosheets supported on thin wires composed of nanoparticles are prepared by a facile one-pot synthesis via controlled nucleation and growth process. By further sulfidation, the sulfide derivative of loose porous fibrous structure shows a high electrochemical capacity for potential pseudocapacitor applications.