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A high-throughput method for the fabrication of ordered arrays of Au nanoparticles is presented. It is based on pulsed electrodeposition into porous anodic alumina templates. In contrast to many synthesis routes, it is cyanide-free, prior separation of the alumina template from the aluminium substrate is not required, and the use of contaminating surfactants/capping agents often found in colloidal synthesis is avoided. The aspect ratio of the nanoparticles can also be tuned by selecting an appropriate electrodeposition time. We show how to fabricate arrays of nanoparticles, both with branched bases and with hemispherical bases. Furthermore, we compare the different morphologies produced with electron microscopies and grazing-incidence synchrotron X-ray diffraction. We find the nanoparticles are polycrystalline in nature and are compressively strained perpendicular to the direction of growth, and expansively strained along the direction of growth. We discuss how this can produce dislocations and twinning defects that could be beneficial for catalysis.

Porous anodic alumina (PAA) can be used as a template for controlled electrodeposition and growth of nano-structures, it is also essential for long-lasting decorative coloring of aluminum. We have investigated the deposition of Sn nanopillars into PAA in-situ, with Grazing transmission small angle X-ray scattering, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. An accumulation of Sn could be detected in the pores during the electrodeposition. From the X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy measurements we could conclude that the deposited Sn was primarily in the metallic state. Ex-situ scanning electron microscopy cross-section measurements show Sn nanopillars inside the PAA.

The effect of surface strain on the passive film evolution of SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel exposed to ambient air and 0.1 M NaCl solution with varying anodic polarization at room temperatu ...

We have developed a microscope with a spatial resolution of 5 μm, which can be used to image the two-dimensional surface optical reflectance (2D-SOR) of polycrystalline samples in operando conditions. Within the field of surface science, operando tools that give information about the surface structure or chemistry of a sample under realistic experimental conditions have proven to be very valuable to understand the intrinsic reaction mechanisms in thermal catalysis, electrocatalysis, and corrosion science. To study heterogeneous surfaces in situ, the experimental technique must both have spatial resolution and be able to probe through gas or electrolyte. Traditional electron-based surface science techniques are difficult to use under high gas pressure conditions or in an electrolyte due to the short mean free path of electrons. Since it uses visible light, SOR can easily be used under high gas pressure conditions and in the presence of an electrolyte. In this work, we use SOR in combination with a light microscope to gain information about the surface under realistic experimental conditions. We demonstrate this by studying the different grains of three polycrystalline samples: Pd during CO oxidation, Au in electrocatalysis, and duplex stainless steel in corrosion. Optical light-based techniques such as SOR could prove to be a good alternative or addition to more complicated techniques in improving our understanding of complex polycrystalline surfaces with operando measurements.

We have developed an electrochemical cell for in situ 2-Dimensional Surface Optical Reflectance (2D-SOR) studies during anodization and cyclic voltammetry. The 2D-SOR signal was recorded from electrodes made of polycrystalline Al, Au(111), and Pt(100) single crystals. The changes can be followed at a video rate acquisition frequency of 200 Hz and demonstrate a strong contrast between oxidizing and reducing conditions. Good correlation between the 2D-SOR signal and the anodization conditions or the cyclic voltammetry current is also observed. The power of this approach is discussed, with a focus on applications in various fields of electrochemistry. The combination of 2D-SOR with other techniques, as well as its spatial resolution and sensitivity, has also been discussed.

A method for the electrochemical synthesis of palladium nanowires, using porous alumina templates with diameters of 25 nm and 40 nm, is presented. Through an electrochemical barrier layer thinning step, pulsed electrodeposition can take place directly into the anodized aluminum; without need for extra removal, pore opening, and metal contact coating steps. A digital oscilloscope is used to record and integrate the current, allowing the efficiency of the electrodeposition to be calculated. We discuss how using a large “off period” allows for the replenishment of the depleted diffusion layer. The nanowires are characterized by using a focused ion beam (FIB) to create cross-sections which can be accessed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). With grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD) we find that the nanowires have a slight compressive strain in the direction that they are confined by the pores (0.58% and 0.51% for the 25 nm and 40 nm pores respectively). Knowing the strain state of the nanowires inside the template is of importance for the use of templated nanowires in devices. Further characterization is made using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), after removal from the alumina templates.

Journal of physics / D 54(23), 235301 (2021). doi:10.1088/1361-6463/abeb3d, Templated electrochemical growth in nanoporous alumina can be used to fabricate nanowires with applications in magnetic storage devices, hydrogen sensors, and electrocatalysis. It is known that nanowires, grown in such templates, are strained. The strain in nanoscale materials can influence their performance in applications such as catalysts and electronic devices. However, it is not well established how the nanoporous template affects the lattice strain in the nanowires and how this develops during the growth process due to the lack of non-destructive in situ studies with spatial resolution. We have measured the strain and grain size of palladium nanowires in nanoporous templates during the growth process. For this, we performed in situ scanning x-ray diffraction with a submicron focused x-ray beam. We found a tensile strain in the nanowires and that it is more pronounced along the growth direction than in the confined direction of the templates. The tensile strain measured in situ is higher than previous ex situ reports, possibly due to hydrogen absorption during the growth. With the spatial information made possible with the focused synchrotron x-ray beam, we could observe local variations in the strain as a function of height. A region of local strain variation is found near the bottom of the nanowires where growth is initiated in branches at the pore bottoms. Knowledge of how nanoporous templates influences the strain of the nanowires may allow for atomic scale tailoring of the catalytic activity of such nanowires or minimizing strain to optimize electronic device performance., Published by IOP Publ., Bristol

This paper presents new findings about the passive film formed on super duplex stainless steel in ambient air and corrosive environments, studied by synchrotron grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). The passive film, formed in air, was seen to be a nano-crystalline mixed-oxide. Electrochemical polarisation to the passive region in aqueous 1 M NaCl at room temperature resulted in an increase of the passive film thickness, preferential dissolution of Fe, and partial loss of crystallinity. After termination of polarization to the transpassive regime, reformation of the mixed-oxides was observed, showing a thicker, semi-crystalline, and more defective nature (more vacancies) with further new oxides/hydroxides.

The anodic oxidation of metals such as aluminum and titanium can lead to the development of self-ordering pores. These pores make excellent templates for a range of nanoscale objects with many applications in nanoscience. Theoretical studies on pore formation have proposed several models for the establishment, growth, and ordering of these pores; however, experimental verification has mostly been limited to ex situ measurements. Here we show that the lateral and vertical pore structure can be probed in situ with high precision, using grazing transmission X-ray scattering. By making use of the high flux available at modern synchrotrons and fitting only the difference between scattering patterns we show the nearly real-time evolution of the pore’s arrangement. We observe no dependence on the substrate crystallographic orientation for domain size or pore separation. We do however observe an anisotropy in the oxide growth rate for the different substrate surfaces. This experimental approach can be applied to ...

Journal of the Electrochemical Society 168, 096511 (2021). doi:10.1149/1945-7111/ac2702, We have combined high-energy surface X-ray diffraction (HESXRD) with 2D surface optical reflectance (2D-SOR) to perform in situ electrochemical measurements of a Au(111) electrode in 0.1 M HClO$_4$ electrolyte. We show that electrochemically induced changes to Au(111) surface during cyclic voltammetry can be simultaneously observed with 2D-SOR and HESXRD. We discuss how small one atom high 1x1 islands, accommodating excess atoms after the lifting of the surface reconstruction, can lead to discrepancies between the two techniques. The use of HESXRD allows us to simultaneously detect parts of the truncation rods from the (1 × 1) surface termination and the p x $√$3 electrochemically induced surface reconstruction, during cyclic voltammetry. The presence of reconstruction phenomena is shown to not depend on having an ideally prepared surface and can in fact be observed after going to very oxidizing potentials. 2D-SOR can also detect the oxidation of the Au surface, however no oxide peaks are detected in the HESXRD signal, which is evidence that any Au oxide is X-ray amorphous., Published by IOP Publishing, Bristol

Self-ordered porous anodic alumina (PAA) films are studied extensively due to a large number of possible applications in nanotechnology and low cost of production. Whereas empirical relationships between growth conditions and produced oxides have been established, fundamental aspects regarding pore formation and self-organization are still under debate. We present

International audience; Self-ordered porous anodic alumina (PAA) films are studied extensively due to a large number of possible applications in nanotechnology and low cost of production. Whereas empirical relationships between growth conditions and produced oxides have been established, fundamental aspects regarding pore formation and self-organization are still under debate. We present in situ structural studies of PAA films using grazing-incidence transmission small-angle X-ray scattering. We have considered the two most used recipes where the pores self-organize: 0.3 M H2SO4 at 25 V and 0.3 M C2H2O4 at 40 V. During anodization we have followed the evolution of the structural parameters: average interpore distance, length of ordered pores domains, and thickness of the porous oxide layer. Compared to the extensively used ex situ investigations, our approach gives an unprecedented temporal accuracy in determination of the parameters. By using of Al(100), Al(110) and Al(111) surfaces, the influence of surface orientation on the structural evolution was studied, and no significant differences in the interpore distance and domain length could be observed. However, the rate of oxide growth in 0.3 M C2H2O4 at 40 V was significantly influenced by the surface orientation, where the slowest growth occurs for Al(111). In 0.3 M H2SO4 at 25 V, the growth rates were higher, but the influence of surface orientation was not obvious. The structural evolution was also studied on pre-patterned aluminum surfaces. These studies show that although the initial structures of the oxides are governed by pre-patterning geometry, the final structures are dictated by the anodization conditions.