The effect of electrode composition on bimetallic AgAu nanoparticles produced by spark ablation

Synergizing ICP-MS, STEM-EDXS, and SMPS single particle analytics exemplified by superlattice L10 Pt/Fe aerosol nanoparticles produced by spark ablation

“…From this it can be assumed that spark ablation from alloyed electrodes would lead to more narrow composition distributions, which was shown for Ag/Au NPs using (S)TEM-EDXS. 24 Nevertheless, the determination of the composition distribution is particularly interesting for multi-element systems that cannot be produced from alloyed electrodes, as certain metals are simply not alloyable. An example is the Ni/Ag system, which can only be produced as NP by spark ablation from two different electrodes.…”

“…As reported in the literature, scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) measurements for different sintering temperatures can give useful information regarding the restructuring of multi-element aerosol NPs. 24,32 For this reason, the sintering behavior of Fe and Pt/Fe in two different process gases (N 2 and H 2 ) will be discussed, ending with a crystallographic assessment by XRD, showing the oxidizing or reducing nature of the process gas to be relevant for the formation of alloyed (Pt/Fe) or segregated (Pt/Fe 2 O 3 ) particles.…”

“…A recent article by Jönsson et al reports that for different binary aerosol NPs (Zn/Cu, Cr/Co, In/Sn, Cu/Ni, Ag/Au, Fe/C, Ni/Ti, Pt/Pd, Fe/Mn, Fe/Cr, Co/Ni) produced by spark ablation, only offline electron microscopy (TEM-EDXS and STEM-EDXS) has been used so far for single-particle composition analysis. 24 They also stated that a low number of analyzed particles may cause larger standard deviations, if single-particle analyses are conducted by (S)TEM-EDXS.…”

In-Flight Tuning of Au–Sn Nanoparticle Properties

“…Alternatively, spark ablation, as a gas-phase synthesis technique working at atmospheric pressure, is known for being simple, continuous, environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and solvent free, and is able to grant access to high-purity nanoparticles . This technique is particularly interesting due to its flexibility since it allows for tuning of nanoparticle properties by adjusting the synthesis parameters. − Besides, the nanoparticles can be annealed in the gas phase directly after generation, avoiding the formation of aggregates. , However, the influence of a rapid in-flight annealing on nanoparticle properties is material dependent and largely unknown. , Hence, a better understanding of this process is required to facilitate a custom material synthesis. Furthermore, phase stability ranges, readily available in phase diagrams for bulk systems, remain challenging to obtain at the nanoscale. , …”