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Zinzani S, Baletto F. Coalescence of AuPd nanoalloys in implicit environments. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024. [PMID: 38963293 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00916a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
The optimal design of nanoparticles and nanoalloys arises from the control of their morphology which depends on the synthesis process they undergo. Coalescence is widely accepted as one of the most common synthetic mechanisms, and it occurs both in the liquid and gas phases. Coalescence is when two existing seeds collide and aggregate into a larger object. The resulting aggregate is expected to be far from the equilibrium isomer, i.e. the global minimum of the potential energy surface. While the coalescence of nanoparticles is well studied in a vacuum, sparse computational studies are available for the coalescence in an environment. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study the coalescence of Au and Pd nanoseeds surrounded by an interacting environment. Comparing the initial stages of the coalescence in a vacuum and the presence of an interacting environment, we show that the formation kinetics strongly depends on the environment and on the size of the nanoalloy. Furthermore, we show that it is possible to tune the resulting nanoalloys' surface chemical composition by changing their surrounding environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Zinzani
- Università degli Studi di Milano - Dipartimento di Fisica, Via Celoria 16, Milano I-20133, Italy.
| | - Francesca Baletto
- Università degli Studi di Milano - Dipartimento di Fisica, Via Celoria 16, Milano I-20133, Italy.
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Báez-Cruz R, Baptista LA, Ntim S, Manidurai P, Espinoza S, Ramanan C, Cortes-Huerto R, Sulpizi M. Role of pH in the synthesis and growth of gold nanoparticles using L-asparagine: a combined experimental and simulation study. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:254005. [PMID: 33845472 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/abf6e3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The use of biomolecules as capping and reducing agents in the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles constitutes a promising framework to achieve desired functional properties with minimal toxicity. The system's complexity and the large number of variables involved represent a challenge for theoretical and experimental investigations aiming at devising precise synthesis protocols. In this work, we use L-asparagine (Asn), an amino acid building block of large biomolecular systems, to synthesise gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in aqueous solution at controlled pH. The use of Asn offers a primary system that allows us to understand the role of biomolecules in synthesising metallic nanoparticles. Our results indicate that AuNPs synthesised in acidic (pH 6) and basic (pH 9) environments exhibit somewhat different morphologies. We investigate these AuNPs via Raman scattering experiments and classical molecular dynamics simulations of zwitterionic and anionic Asn states adsorbing on (111)-, (100)-, (110)-, and (311)-oriented gold surfaces. A combined analysis suggests that the underlying mechanism controlling AuNPs geometry correlates with amine's preferential adsorption over ammonium groups, enhanced upon increasing pH. Our simulations reveal that Asn (both zwitterionic and anionic) adsorption on gold (111) is essentially different from adsorption on more open surfaces. Water molecules strongly interact with the gold face-centred-cubic lattice and create traps, on the more open surfaces, that prevent the Asn from diffusing. These results indicate that pH is a relevant parameter in green-synthesis protocols with the capability to control the nanoparticle's geometry, and pave the way to computational studies exploring the effect of water monolayers on the adsorption of small molecules on wet gold surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Báez-Cruz
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Science, University of Concepcion, PO Box 160-C, Concepcion, Chile
| | - Luis A Baptista
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Samuel Ntim
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Staudingerweg 7, 55128-Mainz, Germany
| | - Paulraj Manidurai
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Science, University of Concepcion, PO Box 160-C, Concepcion, Chile
| | - Shirly Espinoza
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Za Radnici 835, 25241 Dolni Brezany, Czech Republic
| | - Charusheela Ramanan
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Marialore Sulpizi
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität, Staudingerweg 7, 55128-Mainz, Germany
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Delgado-Callico L, Rossi K, Pinto-Miles R, Salzbrenner P, Baletto F. A universal signature in the melting of metallic nanoparticles. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:1172-1180. [PMID: 33404027 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr06850k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Predicting when phase changes occur in nanoparticles is fundamental for designing the next generation of devices suitable for catalysis, biomedicine, optics, chemical sensing and electronic circuits. The estimate of the temperature at which metallic nanoparticles become liquid is, however, a challenge and a standard definition is still missing. We discover a universal feature in the distribution of the atomic-pair distances that distinguishes the melting transition of monometallic nanoparticles. We analyse the solid-liquid change of several late-transition metals nanoparticles, i.e. Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Au and Pt, through classical molecular dynamics. We consider various initial shapes from 146 to 976 atoms, corresponding to the 1.5-4.1 nm size range, placing the nanoparticles in either a vacuum or embedded in a homogeneous environment, simulated by an implicit force-field. Regardless of the material, its initial shape, size and environment, the second peak in the pair-distance distribution function, expected at the bulk lattice distance, disappears when the nanoparticle melts. As the pair-distance distribution is a measurable quantity, the proposed criterion holds for both numerical and experimental investigations. For a more straightforward calculus of the melting temperature, we demonstrate that the cross-entropy between a reference solid pair-distance distribution function and the one of nanoparticles at increasing temperatures present a quasi-first order transition at the phase-change temperature.
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Shape-Dependent Single-Electron Levels for Au Nanoparticles. MATERIALS 2016; 9:ma9040301. [PMID: 28773426 PMCID: PMC5502994 DOI: 10.3390/ma9040301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2016] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The shape of metal nanoparticles has a crucial role in their performance in heterogeneous catalysis as well as photocatalysis. We propose a method of determining the shape of nanoparticles based on measurements of single-electron quantum levels. We first consider nanoparticles in two shapes of high symmetry: cube and sphere. We then focus on Au nanoparticles in three characteristic shapes that can be found in metal/inorganic or metal/organic compounds routinely used in catalysis and photocatalysis. We describe the methodology we use to solve the Schrödinger equation for arbitrary nanoparticle shape. The method gives results that agree well with analytical solutions for the high-symmetry shapes. When we apply our method in realistic gold nanoparticle models, which are obtained from Wulff construction based on first principles calculations, the single-electron levels and their density of states exhibit distinct shape-dependent features. Results for clean-surface nanoparticles are closer to those for cubic particles, while CO-covered nanoparticles have energy levels close to those of a sphere. Thiolate-covered nanoparticles with multifaceted polyhedral shape have distinct levels that are in between those for sphere and cube. We discuss how shape-dependent electronic structure features could be identified in experiments and thus guide catalyst design.
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Fleury B, Cortes-Huerto R, Taché O, Testard F, Menguy N, Spalla O. Gold Nanoparticle Internal Structure and Symmetry Probed by Unified Small-Angle X-ray Scattering and X-ray Diffraction Coupled with Molecular Dynamics Analysis. NANO LETTERS 2015; 15:6088-6094. [PMID: 26263393 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b02924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Shape and size are known to determine a nanoparticle's properties. Hardly ever studied in synthesis, the internal crystal structure (i.e., particle defects, crystallinity, and symmetry) is just as critical as shape and size since it directly impacts catalytic efficiency, plasmon resonance, and orients anisotropic growth of metallic nanoparticles. Hence, its control cannot be ignored any longer in today's research and applications in nanotechnology. This study implemented an unprecedented reliable measurement combining these three structural aspects. The unified small-angle X-ray scattering and diffraction measurement (SAXS/XRD) was coupled with molecular dynamics to allow simultaneous determination of nanoparticles' shape, size, and crystallinity at the atomic scale. Symmetry distribution (icosahedra-Ih, decahedra-Dh, and truncated octahedra-TOh) of 2-6 nm colloidal gold nanoparticles synthesized in organic solvents was quantified. Nanoparticle number density showed the predominance of Ih, followed by Dh, and little, if any, TOh. This result contradicts some theoretical predictions and highlights the strong effect of the synthesis environment on structure stability. We foresee that this unified SAXS/XRD analysis, yielding both statistical and quantitative counts of nanoparticles' symmetry distribution, will provide new insights into nanoparticle formation, growth, and assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaise Fleury
- CEA Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LIONS, UMR CEA/CNRS 3685 , 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
| | - Robinson Cortes-Huerto
- CEA Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LIONS, UMR CEA/CNRS 3685 , 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
| | - Olivier Taché
- CEA Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LIONS, UMR CEA/CNRS 3685 , 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
| | - Fabienne Testard
- CEA Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LIONS, UMR CEA/CNRS 3685 , 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
| | - Nicolas Menguy
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, IMPMC, UMR 7590 CNRS, Campus Jussieu , 75252 Paris CEDEX 05, France
| | - Olivier Spalla
- CEA Saclay, DSM/IRAMIS/NIMBE/LIONS, UMR CEA/CNRS 3685 , 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
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Cortes-Huerto R, Goniakowski J, Noguera C. Role of the environment in the stability of anisotropic gold particles. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:6305-13. [PMID: 25648545 DOI: 10.1039/c4cp05504g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Despite the long-lasting interest in the synthesis control of nanoparticles (NPs) in both fundamental and applied nanosciences, the driving mechanisms responsible for their size and shape selectivity in an environment (solution) are not completely understood, and a clear assessment of the respective roles of equilibrium thermodynamics and growth kinetics is still missing. In this study, relying on an efficient atomistic computational approach, we decipher the dependence of energetics, shapes and morphologies of gold NPs on the strength and nature of the metal-environment interaction. We highlight the conditions under which the energy difference between isotropic and elongated gold NPs is reduced, thus prompting their thermodynamic coexistence. The study encompasses both monocrystalline and multi-twinned particles and extends over size ranges particularly representative of the nucleation and early growth stages. Computational results are further rationalized with arguments involving the dependence of facet and edge energies on the metal-environment interactions. We argue that by determining the abundance and diversity of particles nucleated in solution, thermodynamics may constitute an important bias influencing their final shape. The present results provide firm grounds for kinetic simulations of particle growth.
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Barmparis GD, Lodziana Z, Lopez N, Remediakis IN. Nanoparticle shapes by using Wulff constructions and first-principles calculations. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2015; 6:361-8. [PMID: 25821675 PMCID: PMC4362398 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.6.35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of complex and advanced materials contain nanoparticles. The properties of these materials depend crucially on the size and shape of these nanoparticles. Wulff construction offers a simple method of predicting the equilibrium shape of nanoparticles given the surface energies of the material. RESULTS We review the mathematical formulation and the main applications of Wulff construction during the last two decades. We then focus to three recent extensions: active sites of metal nanoparticles for heterogeneous catalysis, ligand-protected nanoparticles generated as colloidal suspensions and nanoparticles of complex metal hydrides for hydrogen storage. CONCLUSION Wulff construction, in particular when linked to first-principles calculations, is a powerful tool for the analysis and prediction of the shapes of nanoparticles and tailor the properties of shape-inducing species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios D Barmparis
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Heraklion, 71003, Greece
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA
| | - Zbigniew Lodziana
- INP, Polish Acad Sci, ul. Radzikowskiego 152, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
| | - Nuria Lopez
- Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, ICIQ, Av. Paisos Catalans 16, Tarragona 43007, Spain
| | - Ioannis N Remediakis
- Department of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, Heraklion, 71003, Greece
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Park JW, Shumaker-Parry JS. Structural Study of Citrate Layers on Gold Nanoparticles: Role of Intermolecular Interactions in Stabilizing Nanoparticles. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:1907-21. [DOI: 10.1021/ja4097384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 439] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jong-Won Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 1400 East 315 South
RM 2020, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Jennifer S. Shumaker-Parry
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 1400 East 315 South
RM 2020, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
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