Hetergeneous-nucleation synthesis of monodisperse ε-cobalt nanoparticles using palladium seeds

Monodisperse bimetallic Pd–Co nanoparticles were prepared via a thermal decomposition of cobalt carbonyl using palladium seeds at the Pd/Co molar ratios 0.5%, 1%, and 5%. The heterogeneously nucleated nanoparticles without any size-selective precipitation are sufficiently uniform to self-assemble into ordered arrays. The as-synthesized nanoparticles are each a single crystal with a complex cubic structure called ε-Co. The presence of Pd seeds seems to improve the stability of Co nanoparticles against oxidation based on the results from time-dependent magnetization measurement.