Search

A new strategy is described for synthesizing nanostructures of transition metal phosphides, which has used the conversion of preformed metal nanoparticles into metal phosphides by solution-mediated reaction with trioctyphosphine (TOP). The results have shown that in addition to its utility for accessing transition metal phosphides using a highly robust method, various aspects of nanostructure can be influenced by controlling critical aspects of the metal nanoparticle precursors.

The example of hollow magnetic CoPt nanopheres synthesized through a novel and potentially general one-pot reaction that exploits an in situ sacrificial template is reported. One of the important implications of the successful synthesis of hollow nanospheres of a CoPt allow phase is that the alloy system have received much less synthetic development than single-metal systems.

The study demonstrated that metal nanoparticles could be used as a robust solution-based toolkit for synthesizing intermetallic compounds and alloys within minutes at low temperatures. The strategy exploits the enhanced reactivity and nanoscale diffusion distances afforded by binary nanoparticle composites to eliminate the need for high-temperature heating and atomic-scale homogenization, which are necessary using traditional methods for solid-state synthesis.

Abstract: The concept of nanocrystal conversion chemistry, which involves the use of pre-formed nanoparticles as templates for chemical transformation into derivative solids, has emerged as a powerful approach for designing the synthesis of complex nanocrystalline solids. The general strategy exploits established synthetic capabilities in simple nanocrystal systems and uses these nanocrystals as templates that help to define the composition, crystal structure, and morphology of product nanocrystals. This article highlights key examples of “conversion chemistry” approaches to the synthesis of nanocrystalline solids using a variety of techniques, including galvanic replacement, diffusion, oxidation, and ion exchange. The discussion is organized according to classes of solids, highlighting the diverse target systems that are accessible using similar chemical concepts: metals, oxides, chalcogenides, phosphides, alloys, intermetallic compounds, sulfides, and nitrides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]