A new method is proposed for the fabrication of thin films consisting of closely packed nm-size metallic grains. The method is based on laser ablation of metallic (Cu) target and cascade fission of ejected liquid metallic drops charged in the laser torch plasma. It is suggested that cascade fission is limited by field emission current from the drop surface, which stops this process sharply when the Cu granule size diminishes down to about 10 nm. The fabricated films, free oxidized in air, are shown to consist of one or several layers of monodisperse spherical Cu grains, 8 nm in diameter, covered by about a 1 nm thick Cu2O layer.

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NiPd bimetallic systems were for the first time synthesized by laser electrodispersion (LED) of the Ni77Pd23 alloy target followed by the deposition of produced bimetallic particles on a TEM copper grid and alumina granules. Selective area energy-dispersive analysis confirms the bimetallic nature of NiPd particles deposited on a TEM copper grid. Their mean size is 1.0 nm according to TEM. XPS data demonstrate that under deposition on alumina granules (total metal content of 0.005 wt.%), nickel in bimetallic particles nearly completely oxidizes to Ni2+ species predominantly in the form of aluminate. At the same time major part of palladium (84%) exists in Pd0 but oxidizes to Pd2+ (80%) during 6 months storage in air. Both metals are deposited on the external surface of alumina granules and localized in the same areas. In situ reduction of both metals by H2 in the catalytic cell of XPS spectrometer is hindered. Nickel is not reduced even at 450°C, confirming the formation of NiAlOx, whereas palladium is reduced at higher temperatures compared to a similar monometallic catalyst. Nevertheless, NiPd/Al2O3 catalyst is more efficient in gas-phase chlorobenzene hydrodechlorination at 150–350°C than Ni/Al2O3 and even Pd/Al2O3, and much more stable. The difference may be caused by the formation of new active sites due to the contact between Pd0 and NiAlOx-modified support, and the protective action of spinel reacting with HCl by-product.

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