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Hopper E, Wayman TMR, Asselin J, Pinho B, Boukouvala C, Torrente-Murciano L, Ringe E. Size Control in the Colloidal Synthesis of Plasmonic Magnesium Nanoparticles. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2022; 126:563-577. [PMID: 35059097 PMCID: PMC8762659 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c07544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles of plasmonic materials can sustain oscillations of their free electron density, called localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs), giving them a broad range of potential applications. Mg is an earth-abundant plasmonic material attracting growing attention owing to its ability to sustain LSPRs across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelength range. Tuning the LSPR frequency of plasmonic nanoparticles requires precise control over their size and shape; for Mg, this control has previously been achieved using top-down fabrication or gas-phase methods, but these are slow and expensive. Here, we systematically probe the effects of reaction parameters on the nucleation and growth of Mg nanoparticles using a facile and inexpensive colloidal synthesis. Small NPs of 80 nm were synthesized using a low reaction time of 1 min and ∼100 nm NPs were synthesized by decreasing the overall reaction concentration, replacing the naphthalene electron carrier with biphenyl or using metal salt additives of FeCl3 or NiCl2 at longer reaction times of 17 h. Intermediate sizes up to 400 nm were further selected via the overall reaction concentration or using other metal salt additives with different reduction potentials. Significantly larger particles of over a micrometer were produced by reducing the reaction temperature and, thus, the nucleation rate. We showed that increasing the solvent coordination reduced Mg NP sizes, while scaling up the reaction reduced the mixing efficiency and produced larger NPs. Surprisingly, varying the relative amounts of Mg precursor and electron carrier had little impact on the final NP sizes. These results pave the way for the large-scale use of Mg as a low-cost and sustainable plasmonic material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth
R. Hopper
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
- Department
of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United
Kingdom
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas M. R. Wayman
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
- Department
of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United
Kingdom
| | - Jérémie Asselin
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
- Department
of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United
Kingdom
| | - Bruno Pinho
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Boukouvala
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
- Department
of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United
Kingdom
| | - Laura Torrente-Murciano
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, United Kingdom
| | - Emilie Ringe
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, United Kingdom
- Department
of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United
Kingdom
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