Abstract
AbstractEtching (often considered as decomposition) is one of the key considerations in the synthesis, storage, and application of metal nanoparticles. However, the underlying chemistry of their etching process still remains elusive. Here, we use real-time electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to study the reaction dynamics and size/structure evolution of all the stable intermediates during the etching of water-soluble thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), which reveal an unusual “recombination” process in the oxidative reaction environment after the initial decomposition process. Interestingly, the sizes of NC species grow larger and their ligand-to-metal ratios become higher during this recombination process, which are distinctly different from that observed in the reductive growth of Au NCs (e.g., lower ligand-to-metal ratios with increasing sizes). The etching chemistry revealed in this study provides molecular-level understandings on how metal nanoparticles transform under the oxidative reaction environment, providing efficient synthetic strategies for new NC species through the etching reactions.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Physics and Astronomy,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Chemistry
Cited by
41 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献