Issue 23, 2017

Galvanic reactions at the single-nanoparticle level: tuning between mechanistic extremes

Abstract

The formation of bimetallic nanostructures through the process of galvanic exchange of metal nanoparticle (NP) templates involves a drastic phase transformation with a complex atomistic mechanism. Using single-NP plasmonic spectroscopy, we measured the true kinetics of galvanic corrosion of Ag by Au3+ salts. An individual Ag NP undergoes an abrupt transition to the final Au/Ag alloy nanocage, limited only by the nucleation of a void. The ensemble conversion proceeds by NPs switching one at a time to the product phase. But in the presence of an increasing concentration of a Cl additive, the transformation kinetics are altered from a nucleation-limited, co-operative “NP-to-NP” process to a transport-limited, non-cooperative, “atom-by-atom” process. The inhibition of co-operativity within a NP is the result of AgCl formation, which electrochemically insulates the reacting Ag interface from the electrolyte. The alteration of the transformation mechanism also influences the templating process and the final morphology of the product nanostructures. The findings highlight the ability of additives to dramatically alter the very nature of a phase transformation at the atomistic level, knowledge that can be utilized for corrosion inhibition and production of porous, high surface-area nanostructures for heterogeneous catalysis.

Graphical abstract: Galvanic reactions at the single-nanoparticle level: tuning between mechanistic extremes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Apr. 2017
Accepted
24 Maijs 2017
First published
24 Maijs 2017

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017,5, 11940-11948

Galvanic reactions at the single-nanoparticle level: tuning between mechanistic extremes

J. G. Smith, X. Zhang and P. K. Jain, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2017, 5, 11940 DOI: 10.1039/C7TA03302H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements