Discrete Silver(I)‐Palladium(II)‐Oxo Nanoclusters, {Ag4Pd13} and {Ag5Pd15}, and the Role of Metal–Metal Bonding Induced by Cation Confinement

We introduce the class of discrete silver(I)‐palladium(II)‐oxo nanoclusters with the preparation of {Ag₄Pd₁₃} and {Ag₅Pd₁₅}. Both polyanions represent the first examples of noble metal‐capped polyoxo‐noble‐metalates in a fully inorganic assembly, featuring an unprecedented host–guest mode containing hetero‐ and homometallic Ag–Pd and Ag–Ag bonding interactions. Comprehensive theoretical calculations suggest that the Ag–Pd metallic bonds originate partially from surface confinement of Ag^I guest ions onto the anionic polyoxopalladate host that is induced by strong electrostatic forces. This work opens the field of fully inorganic silver‐palladium‐oxo nanoclusters, which can be considered as discrete mixed noble metal precursors for the formation of monodisperse core–shell nanoparticles, with high relevance for catalysis.     

Au–Ag Nanoflower Catalysts with Clean Surfaces for Alcohol Oxidation

Shape‐controlled metal nanocrystals, such as nanowires and nanoflowers, are attractive owing to their potentially novel catalytic properties and bimetallic nanocrystals composed of two distinct metals are expected to act as highly active catalysts. However, their catalytic activities are limited because of the capping agents adsorbed on the metal surfaces, which are necessary for the preparation and dispersion of these nanocrystals in solvents. Therefore, the preparation of bimetallic shape‐controlled noble metal nanocrystals with clean surfaces, devoid of almost all capping agents, are expected to have high catalytic activity. Herein, we report the preparation of bimetallic Au–Ag nanoflowers using melamine as the capping agent. The bimetallic Au–Ag nanoflowers with a clean surface were subsequently obtained by a support and extraction method. The bimetallic nanoflowers with a clean surface were then used for the aerobic oxidation of 1‐phenylethyl alcohol and they exhibited high rates for the formation of acetophenone compared to Au nanoflowers and spherical nanoparticles with almost the same size and Au/Ag ratio. We also show that Au–Ag nanoflowers containing only 1 % Ag (Au₉₉–Ag₁NFs) exhibit the highest rate of acetophenone formation among Au–Ag nanoflowers with different Au/Ag ratios owing to an increase in the electron density of the Au atoms that act as active sites for the oxidation of 1‐phenylethyl alcohol.     

Converting Ag2SCdS and Ag2SZnS into AgCdS and AgZnS Nanoheterostructures by Selective Extraction of Sulfur

A mild three‐step solution strategy is developed to prepare Ag? MS (M=Zn, Cd) nanoheterostructures composed of MS nanorods with silver tips. First, Ag₂S? MS heterostructures are synthesized by following a solution–liquid–solid mechanism with Ag₂S nanoparticles as catalysts, then the Ag₂S sections of the heterostructures are converted into silver nanoparticles by selective extraction of sulfur. Notably, for the prepared Ag? CdS heterostructures, the localized surface plasmon resonance of silver remarkably intensifies the photoluminescence of CdS by enhancing the excitation light absorption, which is beneficial for potential applications of CdS nanoparticles in the fields of biolabeling, light‐emitting diodes, and so forth. The strategy reported herein would be useful for designing and fabricating other metal–semiconductor hybrid nanostructures with desirable performances.     

Synthesis, Structure and Growth Mechanism of Size and Shape Tunable Au/Ag Bimetallic Nanoparticles

By simply adding ascorbic acid in advance of AgNO₃, the size and shape controllable Au/Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (NP) were prepared in the traditional Au growth solution free of seed at room temperature. The size distribution of NP is well uniform with ca. 10%–15% standard deviation in diameter. By changing CTAB concentration, the size and shape of NPs are tunable. After researching the surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) behavior of the prepared NPs, an enhancement factor varied from 4.3×10⁴ to 1.1×10⁵ was obtained for the NP centered at ca. (64±8) nm. Electrochemical cyclic voltammetric results revealed that the so formed nanoparticles were Au riched Au/Ag bimetallic NP, and this formation might be due to the disproportionation reaction of Au⁺ prompted by Ag⁺ and the under potential deposition process of Ag⁺ on Au.     

Thiolate‐Mediated Photoinduced Synthesis of Ultrafine Ag2S Quantum Dots from Silver Nanoparticles

Photoinduced syntheses offer significant advantages over conventional thermal strategies, including improved control over reaction kinetics and low synthesis temperatures, affording nanoparticles with nontrivial and thermodynamically unstable structures. However, the photoinduced syntheses of non‐metallic nanocrystalline products (such as metal sulfides) have not yet been reported. Herein, we demonstrate the first photoinduced synthesis of ultrafine (sub‐2 nm) Ag₂S quantum dots (QDs) from Ag nanoparticles at 10 °C. By thorough investigation of the mechanism for the transformation, a fundamental link was established between the intrinsic structures of the molecular intermediates and the final Ag₂S products. Our results confirm the viability of low‐temperature photochemical approaches in metal sulfide synthesis, and demonstrate a new rule which could be followed in it.     

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering of 4,4′-bipyridine on silver by density functional theory calculations

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of 4,4′-bipyridine (BPy) on silver foil substrate was measured using the 488, 514.5, and 1064 nm excitation lines. Density functional theory (DFT) methods were used to calculate the structure and vibrational spectra of Ag–BPy, Ag₃–BPy and Ag₄–BPy complexes with B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p)(C,H,N)/Lanl2dz(Ag) basis set. The Raman bands of BPy were assigned on the basis of the calculation of potential energy distribution. The calculated spectra of Ag–BPy and Ag₄–BPy complexes were much closer to the experimental results of BPy adsorbed on silver surface than that of Ag₃–BPy complexes. The vibrational frequencies that are sensitive to the planar or non-planar structure of BPy and to the dihedral angle of two pyridyl rings were discussed. The DFT results showed that the angles between two pyridyl rings for Ag–BPy and Ag₄–BPy were skewed by about 38.44° and 37.1°, respectively. The energy gaps of the HOMO and LUMO from DFT were 415–912 nm for BPy–Ag complexes. The relative intensities of SERS bands changed with different excitation laser lines. Thus, a chemical enhancement mechanism should play an important role in the SERS of BPy on silver substrate.     

A comparative studyof heat‐treated Ag:SiO2 nanocomposites synthesized by cosputtering and sol‐gel methods

In this work, we compared formation and properties of heat‐treated Ag nanoparticles in silica matrix synthesized by RF‐reactive magnetron cosputtering and sol–gel methods separately. The sol–gel and sputtered films were annealed at different temperatures in air and in a reduced environment, respectively. The optical UV‐visible spectrophotometry have shown that the absorption peak appears at 456 and 400 nm wavelength indicating formation of silver nanoparticles in SiO₂ matrix for both the sol–gel and sputtering methods at 100 and 800 °C, respectively. XPS measurements showed that the metallic Ag⁰ nanoparticles can be obtained from both the techniques at these temperatures. According to XPS and AFM analysis, by increasing annealing temperature, the concentration of the Ag nanoparticles on the surface decreased and the nanoparticles diffused into the substrate for the sol–gel films, while for the films deposited by cosputtering method, the Ag surface concentration increased by increasing the temperature. Based on AFM observations, the size of nanoparticles on the surface were obtained at about 25 and 55 nm for sputtered and sol–gel films, respectively, supporting our optical data analysis. In comparison, the sputtering technique can produce Ag metallic nanoparticles with a narrower particle size distribution relative to the sol–gel method. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of Ag nanocrystals embedded silicate glass by field-assisted diffusion and its properties of optical absorption

Ag nanocrystals embedded silicate glass was successfully prepared by solid-state field-assisted diffusion, combined with post-annealing process. The changes of glass structure, the chemical states of Ag and O species, the microstructures of Ag nanocrystals, as well as the properties of optical absorption were studied for the as-diffused and post-annealed samples. The result showed that after the field-assisted diffusion process, some Ag⁺ ions replaced the alkaline ions in the glass matrix. Meanwhile, other Ag⁺ ions were reduced to Ag⁰ atoms occupying the interspaces of the network and Ag⁰ atoms clusters with small size were formed. This caused the relaxation of the glass network and the deceasing of force constant for Si–O linkage. After post-annealing process, bigger size of Ag nanoparticles were formed, which caused the peak corresponding to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) observed.     

Coassembly of Metal and Titanium Dioxide Nanocrystals Directed by Monolayered Block Copolymer Inverse Micelles for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Functional nanostructures of self‐assembled block copolymers (BCPs) incorporated with various inorganic nanomaterials have received considerable attention on account of their many potential applications. Here we demonstrate the two‐dimensional self‐assembly of anisotropic titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanocrystals (NCs) and metal nanoparticles (NPs) directed by monolayered poly(styrene)‐block‐poly(4‐vinylpyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) copolymer inverse micelles. The independent position‐selective assembly of TiO₂ NCs and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) preferentially in the intermicelle corona regions and the core of micelles, respectively, for instance, was accomplished by spin‐coating a mixture solution of PS‐b‐P4VP and ex situ synthesized TiO₂ NCs, followed by the reduction of Ag salts coordinated in the cores of micelles into AgNPs. Hydrophobic TiO₂ NCs with a diameter and length of approximately 3 nm and 20–30 nm, respectively, were preferentially sequestered in the intermicelle nonpolar PS corona regions energetically favorable with the minimum entropic packing penalty. Subsequent high‐temperature annealing at 550 °C not only effectively removed the block copolymer but also transformed the TiO₂ NCs into connected nanoparticles, thus leading to a two‐dimensionally ordered TiO₂ network in which AgNPs were also self‐organized. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the AgNP‐decorated TiO₂ networks by approximately 27 and 44 % over that of Ag‐free TiO₂ networks and randomly deposited TiO₂ nanoparticles, respectively, was confirmed by the UV degradation property of methylene blue.     

Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis of Monodisperse Ag Nanoparticles and Their Applications in Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering and Fluorescence Enhancement

Monodisperse Ag nanoparticles with diameters of about 3.4 nm were synthesized by a facile ultrasonic synthetic route at room temperature with the reduction of borane-tert-butylamine in the presence of oleylamine (OAm) and oleic acid (OA). The reaction parameters of time, the molar ratios of OAm to OA were studied, and it was found that these parameters played important roles in the morphology and size of the products. Meanwhile, surface enhanced Raman spectrum (SERS) property suggested the Ag nanoparticles exhibited high SERS effect on the model molecule Rhodamine 6G. And also, two-photon fluorescence images showed that the silver nanoparticles had high performances in fluorescence enhancement.     

A Three-dimensional Heteronuclear Polymer of [Ag2Fe（SCN）5（DMF）]n Containing Channels and One-dimensional Ag2S2-S-Ag2S2 Chains with Ag…Ag Interaction

Introduction So far, considerable attention has been paid to mag-netic interaction between two different metal ions.1-3 As a potential bridging ligand, thiocyanate can coordinate to a harder metal center with N atom and softer ones with S atom at the same time, resulting in the formation of small ferromagnetic coupling.2 On the other hand, the Fe(III) atom is a good candidate as a hard acid and Ag(I) is a good candidate as a soft acid, so that the Fe(III) centers could be expected to conn…     

Cu2SnSe3-Ag纳米复合物的合成及其热电性质研究

采用Schlenk line技术,通过一种简单的硒源热注射的方法合成了Cu_2SnSe_3(CTSe)纳米晶,同时采用胶体法得到了单分散性极好的、粒径为4nm左右的Ag纳米颗粒(Ag NPs),之后通过简单的滴加法向CTSe纳米晶基质中掺入了特定比例的Ag NPs,得到CTSe-Ag纳米复合物。通过X射线粉末衍射、透射电镜、高分辨透射电镜、红外光谱和热重分析等表征了样品的组成、结构和形貌。同时对合成样品的热电性质进行了研究,相关的测试结果表明,以CTSe为基体掺杂AgNPs的样品中,CTSe-1(mol)%Ag具有最佳的热电优值(ZT=0.23,655K),相较纯相CTSe(ZT=0.18,655K)提高了27%。     

Fabrication and Formation Mechanism of Ag Nanoplate‐Decorated Nanofiber Mats and Their Application in SERS

We report a new simple method to fabricate a highly active SERS substrate consisting of poly‐m‐phenylenediamine/polyacrylonitrile (PmPD/PAN) decorated with Ag nanoplates. The formation mechanism of Ag nanoplates is investigated. The synthetic process of the Ag nanoplate‐decorated PmPD/PAN (Ag nanoplates@PmPD/PAN) nanofiber mats consists of the assembly of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of PmPD/PAN nanofibers as crystal nuclei followed by in situ growth of Ag nanoparticles exclusively into nanoplates. Both the reducibility of the polymer and the concentration of AgNO₃ are found to play important roles in the formation and the density of Ag nanoplates. The optimized Ag nanoplates@PmPD/PAN nanofiber mats exhibit excellent activity and reproducibility in surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of 4‐mercaptobenzoic acid (4‐MBA) with a detection limit of 10^?10 m , making the Ag nanoplates@PmPD/PAN nanofiber mats a promising substrate for SERS detection of chemical molecules. In addition, this work also provides a design and fabrication process for a 3D SERS substrate made of a reducible polymer with noble metals.     

A DFT Investigation of Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering of Adenine and 2′‐Deoxyadenosine 5′‐Monophosphate on Ag20 Nanoclusters

We present a detailed analysis of the surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of adenine and 2′‐deoxyadenosine 5′‐monophosphate (dAMP) adsorbed on an Ag₂₀ cluster by using density functional theory. Calculated Raman spectra show that spectral features of all complexes depend greatly on adsorption sites of adenine and dAMP. The complexes consisting of adenine adsorbed on the Ag₂₀ cluster through N3 reproduce the measured SERS spectra in silver colloids, and thus demonstrated that adenine interacts with the silver surface via N3. We also investigate the SERS spectrum of adenine at the junction between two Ag₂₀ clusters and demonstrate that adenine can bind to the clusters through N3 and the external amino group, while dAMP can be adsorbed on the cluster in an end‐on orientation with the ribose and phosphate groups near to or away from the silver cluster. In contrast to the adenine–Ag₂₀ complexes, the dAMP–Ag₂₀ complexes produce new and strong bands in the low‐ or high‐wavenumber region of the Raman spectra, due to vibrations of the ribose and phosphate groups. Furthermore, the spectrum of dAMP bound to the Ag₂₀ cluster via N7 approaches the experimental SERS spectra on silver colloids.     

Different Silver Nanoparticles in One Crystal: Ag210(iPrPhS)71(Ph3P)5Cl and Ag211(iPrPhS)71(Ph3P)6Cl

Two pure silver nanoparticles (Ag₂₁₀(ⁱPrPhS)₇₁(Ph₃P)₅Cl and Ag₂₁₁(ⁱPrPhS)₇₁(Ph₃P)₆Cl labeled as SD/Ag210 and SD/Ag211 (SD=SunDi), were found to co‐crystallize in forming compound 1 . Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (SCXRD) revealed that they differ by only one Ag(PPh₃). Their four‐shell nanoparticles consist of three pure Ag metal shells (Ag₁₉@Ag₅₂@Ag₄₅) shielded by a silver‐organic Ag₈₉(ⁱPrPhS)₇₁Cl[Ag(Ph₃P)]_n outermost shell. The number (n) of Ag(Ph₃P) is five for SD/Ag210 and six for SD/Ag211. The pseudo‐fivefold symmetric Ag nanoparticles exhibit surface plasmon absorption similar to a true metallic state but at the nanoscale. This work exemplifies the important effects of phosphine in stabilizing large silver nanoparticles; and offers a platform to investigate the origin of differences in nanoscale metal materials, even differing by only one metal atom; it also sheds light on the regioselective binding of auxiliary Ph₃P on the surface of silver nanoparticles.     

On the Thermodynamics and Experimental Control of Twinning in Metal Nanocrystals

This work demonstrates a new strategy for controlling the evolution of twin defects in metal nanocrystals by simply following thermodynamic principles. With Ag nanocrystals supported on amorphous SiO₂ as a typical example, we establish that twin defects can be rationally generated by equilibrating nanoparticles of different sizes through heating and then cooling. We validate that Ag nanocrystals with icosahedral, decahedral, and single‐crystal structures are favored at sizes below 7 nm, between 7 and 11 nm, and greater than 11 nm, respectively. This trend is then rationalized by computational studies based on density functional theory and molecular dynamics, which show that the excess free energy for the three equilibrium structures correlate strongly with particle size. This work not only highlights the importance of thermodynamic control but also adds another synthetic method to the ever‐expanding toolbox used for generating metal nanocrystals with desired properties.     

Improved Photocatalytic Activity and Stability of Nano‐sized Ag/Ag2CO3 Plasmonic Photocatalyst by Surface Modification of Fe(III) Nanocluster

The surface modification of Ag/Ag₂CO₃ with Fe(III) ions has been achieved through simply photoreduction‐impregnation method. The obtained products were characterized by means of X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV‐vis absorption spectroscopy. Under visible‐light irradiation (γ>420 nm), the Fe(III)/Ag/Ag₂CO₃ sample displays a higher photocatalytic activity and stability than pure Ag₂CO₃ and Ag/Ag₂CO₃ samples for the degradation of methyl orange (MO). The improved photocatalytic activity and stability of this ternary system could be ascribed to the synergetic effect between Ag nanoparticles and Fe(III) nanocluster. The metallic Ag nanoparticles cause an obviously enhanced visible‐light absorption to produce more photogenerated charges, while the Fe(III) works as an active site for the following oxygen reduction to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes.     

Two step, hydrolytic-solvothermal synthesis of redispersible titania nanocrystals and their gas-sensing properties

A titanium chloromethoxide solution was prepared by reacting TiCl₄ with methanol, followed by water addition. The starting solutions were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, evidencing that the in situ generated water results in early hydrolysis of the chloroalkoxide. The solution was reacted with molten dodecylamine at room temperature, obtaining a white slurry of amorphous titania nanoparticles. Stable, redispersible TiO₂ nanocrystals could be prepared by subsequent solvothermal treatment in oleic acid at 250???C. The use of oleic acid was essential for obtaining crystalline structures, while other surfactants prevented crystallization. The nanocrystals were characterized by X-ray Diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy, confirming the formation of anatase TiO₂ nanocrystals with a mean size of 3.3?nm. The TiO₂ nanocrystals were used for fabricating gas-sensing devices, which were tested towards ethanol vapors. The initial small size of the nanocrystals, and the limited size growth during the high-temperature sensor operation, result in remarkable sensing performances if compared with bulk titania sensors.     

Enhancement on the structural,functional, optical and morphological properties of temperature treated silver sulfide nanostructures

The Silver Sulfide (Ag₂S) nanostructures were synthesized via the facile co-precipitation method. Thorough study and analysis were carried out to reveal and compare the structural, optical, functional, and morphological characteristics of as-synthesized samples annealed at various temperatures. The XRD analysis characterized the structural properties of Ag₂S nanoparticles, which unveiled the excellent crystallinity and monoclinic structure. The as-synthesized samples show an average crystallite size of 52 nm–41.7 nm. The modes of vibration and peak position of metal sulfides in Ag₂S nanoparticles were investigated through the FTIR technique. The optical attributes of prepared samples were scrutinized using UV–Vis analysis, which portrays the cut-off wavelength in the range of 1192–1223 nm for non-annealed and annealed Ag₂S nanoparticles, alongside the optical band gap is about 0.86 eV–0.96 eV. This work elucidates a novel approach to synthesis and scrutinises the characteristics of Ag₂S nanoparticles by subjecting them to distinct annealing temperatures precisely, as-prepared, 200 °C and 400 °C.     

Synthesis of CdS, ZnS and Ag2S nanoparticles stabilized by sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate and polyoxyethylenesorbitan monooleate in aqueous medium

The effect of synthesis conditions (molar ratio between precursors, concentration of surfactants, synthesis temperature) on the size of CdS, ZnS and Ag₂S nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)succinate and polyoxyethylenesorbitan monooleate was studied. It was established that stabilization by polyoxyethylenesorbitan results in formation of smaller NPs (～8 nm) as compared to that in the presence of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (14–60 nm), which is due to the difference between the adsorption rates of these surfactants onto the surface of synthesized NPs. The resulting aqueous dispersions of CdS, ZnS and Ag₂S NPs exhibit long-term stability to sedimentation. The nanoparticle size increases insignificantly with temperature increasing to 65–70°C and rises abruptly at higher temperatures. The increase in the ratio between concentrations of precursors (sulfide and metal ions) also results in an increase in NP size, allowing one to synthesize nanoparticles of prescribed sizes. The optical properties of the resulting nanoparticles were studied. The positions of the exciton peaks and the luminescence intensity peaks of the dispersions of synthesized CdS and ZnS NPs were determined.