Synthesis and Reactivity of Magnetically Diverse Au@Ni Core-Shell Nanostructures.

Core-shell bimetallic Au@Ni nanoparticles, with gold cores and thin nickel shells with overall size less than 10 nm, are synthesized and stabilized in pure cubic (fcc) and hexagonal (hcp) phase. Due to their unique crystal, electronic, and geometric structure, they show interesting magnetic and chemical properties. The Au@Nifcc is magnetic, whereas Au@Nihcp is non-magnetic. Both the bimetallic nanostructures are stable to surface oxidation until 150 °C and show excellent catalytic activity for p-nitrophenol reduction reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]