Morphological evolution of Cu2O nanocrystals in an acid solution: stability of different crystal planes

The morphological evolution of uniform Cu(2)O nanocrystals with different morphologies in a weak acetic acid solution (pH = 3.5) has been studied for cubic, octahedral, rhombic dodecahedral, {100} truncated octahedral, and {110} truncated octahedral nanocrystals. Cu(2)O nanocrystals undergo oxidative dissolution in weak acid solution, but their morphological changes depend on the exposed crystal planes. We found that the stability of Cu(2)O crystal planes in weak acid solution follows the order of {100} ? {111} > {110} and determines how the morphology of Cu(2)O nanocrystals evolves. The stable {100} crystal planes remain, and new {100} facets form at the expense of the less stable {111} and {110} crystal planes on the surface of Cu(2)O nanocrystals. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the Cu-O bond on Cu(2)O(100) surface has the shortest bond length. These results clearly exemplify that the morphology of inorganic crystals will evolve with the change of local chemical environment, shedding light on fundamentally understanding the morphological evolution of natural minerals and providing novel insights into the geomimetic synthesis of inorganic materials in the laboratory.     

Elucidating the effect of additives on the growth and stability of Cu2O surfaces via shape transformation of pre-grown crystals

A new strategy of using pre-grown crystals to study preferential adsorption of various additives is demonstrated for the electrocrystallization of Cu2O. In this method, micron-size Cu2O crystals with well-defined cubic and octahedral shapes were first electrochemically grown, and their crystallization was resumed in a medium containing the additive to be investigated (e.g., Na+, NH4+, SO42-, Cl-, dodecyl sulfate). This method makes it possible to systematically study the interaction of additives with specific planes (e.g., {100} of a cube and {111} of an octahedron) already present. By observing shape transformation over time, the relative stabilities of {100}, {111}, and {110} planes of Cu2O in various growth media could be determined. During this study, a general scheme of forming new crystal shapes containing crystallographic planes that cannot be directly stabilized by preferential adsorption alone was also established (i.e., rhombicuboctahedral shape of Cu2O containing {110} planes). This method can be extended to other crystal systems, which will enable us to classify common features of additives (e.g., charges, type of atoms) and crystallographic planes (e.g., atomic arrangement, surface termination, surface charge) required to allow for strong preferential adsorption.     

Nanocrystals composed of alternating shells of Pd and Pt can be obtained by sequentially adding different precursors

This paper describes a layer-by-layer epitaxial approach to the synthesis of multishelled nanocrystals composed of alternating shells of Pd and Pt by starting with seeds made of Pd or Pt nanocrystals. The synthesis was conducted by sequentially adding PtCl(4)(2-) and PdCl(4)(2-) salt precursors into a system containing either Pd or Pt seeds (in the shape of cuboctahedrons, octahedrons, plates, or cubes) together with a weak reducing agent such as citric acid (CA). The slow reduction kinetics associated with CA played an important role in the epitaxial growth of one metal on the other, resulting in the formation of Pd-Pt multishelled nanocrystals. Owing to the capping effect of CA for {111} facets of Pd and Pt, the multishelled nanocrystals tended to be enclosed by {111} facets in the form of octahedrons or thin plates, depending on the shapes of the Pd or Pt seeds: octahedrons for cuboctahedral, cubic, or octahedral seeds, and plates for platelike seeds.     

Shape evolution of single-crystalline iron oxide nanocrystals

Shape- and size-controlled synthesis of single-crystalline maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) nanocrystals are performed by utilizing a solution-based one-step thermolysis method. Modulating the growth parameters, such as the type and amount of capping ligands as well as the growth time, is shown to have a significant effect on the overall shape and size of the obtained nanocrystals and on the ripening process itself. The resulting shapes of the novel structures are diverse, including slightly faceted spheres, diamonds, prisms, and hexagons, all of which are in fact truncated dodecahedron structures with different degrees of truncation along the {111}, {110}, or {100} faces. Spherical nanocrystals are easily assembled into the three-dimensional superlattices, demonstrating the uniformity of these nanocrystals. The size-dependent magnetic properties are examined, and large hexagon-shaped gamma-Fe2O3 nanocrystals are shown to be ferrimagnetic at room temperature.     

Surface enhanced Raman scattering effects of silver colloids with different shapes

By solution-based method, three kinds of silver colloids, self-assembled nanowires, triangular nanoplates and quasispherical nanoparticles, have been synthesized. TEM studies revealed that they exposed different crystal planes, such as {111} crystal planes to triangular nanoplates, mainly {100} and {111} planes to self-assembly nanowires. Hereby, do the distinct shapes and crystal planes have an impact on the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)? The great differences of the SERS spectra of rhodamine B at these Ag colloids confirmed that the shapes and crystal planes of silver have great effect on Raman enhancement, especially the crystal planes.     

High symmetric 18-facet polyhedron nanocrystals of Cu7S4 with a hollow nanocage

On the basis of Kirkendall Effect, high symmetric 18-facet polyhedral nanocrystals of Cu7S4 with a hollow nanocage could be converted from cubic nanocrystals of Cu2O in an aqueous media. The presence of organic additives makes the surface energy of {110} smaller than those of {100} and {111}. The growth of nanocrystals along the normal direction of highest energy surface {100} leads to the formation of a 18-facet polyhedron.     

Icosahedral platinum alloy nanocrystals with enhanced electrocatalytic activities

This communication describes the synthesis of Pt-M (M = Au, Ni, Pd) icosahedral nanocrystals based on the gas reducing agent in liquid solution method. Both CO gas and organic surface capping agents play critical roles in stabilizing the icosahedral shape with {111} surfaces. Among the Pt-M alloy icosahedral nanocrystals generated, Pt(3)Ni had an impressive ORR specific activity of 1.83 mA/cm(2)(Pt) and 0.62 A/mg(Pt). Our results further show that the area-specific activity of icosahedral Pt(3)Ni catalysts was about 50% higher than that of the octahedral Pt(3)Ni catalysts (1.26 mA/cm(2)(Pt)), even though both shapes are bound by {111} facets. Density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that this improvement may arise from strain-induced electronic effects.     

Shape-dependent electrocatalytic activity of monodispersed gold nanocrystals toward glucose oxidation

We systematically explore the shape-dependent catalytic activities of Au nanocrystals toward glucose oxidation in alkaline electrolytes, which is strongly dependent on the shape of the Au nanocrystals. The {100}-bounded cubic Au nanocrystals are significantly more active than the {110}-bounded rhombic dodecahedral and {111}-bounded octahedral Au nanocrystals.     

Facet-dependent and au nanocrystal-enhanced electrical and photocatalytic properties of Au-Cu2O core-shell heterostructures

We report highly facet-dependent electrical properties of Cu(2)O nanocubes and octahedra and significant enhancement of gold nanocrystal cores to the electrical conductivity of Au-Cu(2)O core-shell octahedra. Cu(2)O nanocubes and octahedra and Au-Cu(2)O core-shell cubes and octahedra were synthesized by following our reported facile procedures at room temperature. Two oxide-free tungsten probes attached to a nanomanipulator installed inside a scanning electron microscope made contacts to a single Cu(2)O nanocrystal for the I-V measurements. Pristine Cu(2)O octahedra bounded by {111} facets are 1100 times more conductive than pristine Cu(2)O cubes enclosed by {100} faces, which are barely conductive. Core-shell cubes are only slightly more conductive than pristine cubes. A 10,000-fold increase in conductivity over a cube has been recorded for an octahedron. Remarkably, core-shell octahedra are far more conductive than pristine octahedra. The same facet-dependent electrical behavior can still be observed on a single nanocrystal exposing both {111} and {100} facets. This new fundamental property may be observable in other semiconductor nanocrystals. We also have shown that both core-shell cubes and octahedra outperform pristine cubes and octahedra in the photodegradation of methyl orange. Efficient photoinduced charge separation is attributed to this enhanced photocatalytic activity. Interestingly, facet-selective etching occurred over the {100} corners of some octahedra and core-shell octahedra during photocatalysis. The successful preparation of Au-Cu(2)O core-shell heterostructures with precise shape control has offered opportunities to discover new and exciting physical and chemical properties of nanocrystals.     

纳米Pd的形貌和尺寸可控制备及其1,4-丁炔二醇加氢性能

采用化学还原法合成Pd纳米立方体,并将其作为晶种,进一步合成大尺寸的纳米Pd立方体以及具有不同{100}和{111}晶面比例的纳米Pd多面体.将形貌和尺寸可控的纳米Pd溶胶应用于1,4-丁炔二醇催化加氢的反应中,反应结果表明,纳米Pd的催化性能取决于其尺寸和形貌.{111}晶面的催化活性高于{100}晶面,PVP稳定的Pd胶体对1,4-丁烯二醇均具有较高选择性,具有适当{100}和{111}晶面比例的纳米Pd多面体对1,4-丁烯二醇的选择性可达96%.     

The Origin of Shape Sensitivity in Palladium‐Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Cross Coupling Reactions

The shape sensitivity of Pd catalysts in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions is studied using nanocrystals enclosed by well‐defined surface facets. The catalytic performance of Pd nanocrystals with cubic, cuboctahedral and octahedral morphologies are compared. Superior catalytic reactivity is observed for Pd NCs with {100} surface facets compared to {111} facets. The origin of the enhanced reactivity associated with a cubic morphology is related to the leaching susceptibility of the nanocrystals. Molecular oxygen plays a key role in facilitating the leaching of Pd atoms from the surface of the nanocrystals. The interaction of O₂ with Pd is itself facet‐dependent, which in turn gives rise to more efficient leaching from {100} facets, compared to {111} facets under the reaction conditions.     

不同晶面Cu2O光催化还原Cr（VI）的性能

Cr(VI)具有高毒性和强诱变致癌性,且能稳定存在于自然界中,对人类和自然环境危害极大.而容易沉淀和吸附在固体上的Cr(III)毒性较小,约为Cr(VI)的千分之一.因此,将Cr(VI)还原为Cr(III)是处理含铬废水的有效途径.光催化还原是一种环境友好的新型技术,基于可见光的催化还原处理含Cr(VI)废水能够在常温常压下进行,具有经济、高效、清洁和无二次污染等特点而受到广泛关注.采用适宜的晶面生长控制剂,调变不同晶面的相对生长速率,可制得暴露不同晶面、具有多种形貌的Cu2O.将这些具有不同晶面的Cu2O用于光催化氧化降解有机污染物的研究表明, Cu2O的光催化氧化性能与其所暴露的晶面密切相关,其表面残留的用作晶面生长控制剂的表面活性剂对其催化性能有重要影响.相对而言,将Cu2O用于光催化还原Cr(VI)的研究较少,关于晶面导向剂油酸对其光催化还原Cr(VI)性能的影响尚未见报道.
　　本文采用液相法,首先合成了仅暴露Cu2O{100}晶面的立方体(Cub),进而通过控制晶面导向剂油酸的用量,制得仅外露Cu2O{111}晶面的八面体(OctO)和仅暴露Cu2O{110}晶面的十二面体(RhdO),继而再将OctO和RhdO在C3H6-O2等混合气中于215 oC处理30 min,通过此温和氧化除去表面油酸,获得了具有洁净表面的八面体(Oct)和十二面体(Rhd)的Cu2O.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)等技术对其物性特征进行了表征.在LED可见光辐照下,对比评价了具有不同晶面的Cu2O光催化还原Cr(VI)的性能,研究了暴露晶面及晶面导向剂油酸等对Cu2O光催化还原Cr(VI)的影响.
　　XRD研究表明,采用液相法及温和氧化处理可制得纯相的Cu2O,其XRD图中无Cu及CuO等杂峰出现. SEM观测结果表明,所得Cu2O样品形貌均一性较好,采用丙烯选择氧化去除表面油酸后, Cu2O的形貌无明显改变,仅其外表面略有粗化. FT-IR分析进一步说明,去除表面油酸后,其物相仍为Cu2O,没有出现CuO的红外特征吸收.
　　动力学研究结果显示, Cu2O光催化还原Cr(VI)具有准一级反应动力学特征,晶面导向剂油酸的存在能够在一定程度上减缓光腐蚀和酸腐蚀,有助于较长时间内保持Cu2O光催化还原活性,而对Cu2O光催化速率没有影响.以单位比表面积速率常数为比活性指标,不同晶面Cu2O光催化还原Cr(VI)的活性次序为{111}>{110}>{100}. Cu2O不同晶面的原子配位情况差异明显,且{100}晶面的表面能较低,由此可较好解释具有不同晶面Cu2O光催化还原Cr(VI)活性的不同.八面体Cu2O的{111}面上同时存在配位饱和与配位不饱和Cu,而菱形十二面体Cu2O的{110}面上只有配位饱和Cu,立方体Cu2O的{100}面上只有配位不饱和O.相对于Cu2O的{100}晶面,具有更高表面自由能的{111}和{110}晶面易于产生光生电子-空穴对,从而表现出较{100}晶面更高的光催化活性.而Cu2O{111}晶面表现出更高光催化活性的原因可能是： Cu2O{111}晶面上存在的不饱和Cu可作为活性位点,在某种程度上有利于光生电子-空穴对分离,减少光生电子-空穴对复合,从而提高光催化还原速率.     

Facile synthesis of concave gold nanoplates in hexagonal liquid crystal made of SDS/water system

Concave gold nanoplates are obtained in hexagonal liquid crystal (LLC) made of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)/glycine/HAuCl(4) aqueous solution system where glycine plays the key role. All plates are single-crystals, characterized by {111} facets, with concave centers of regular hexagonal or triangular shapes, and with better electrocatalytic activity than gold nanoplates.     

Synthesis of Cu2O nanocrystals from cubic to rhombic dodecahedral structures and their comparative photocatalytic activity

In this study, a new series of Cu(2)O nanocrystals with systematic shape evolution from cubic to face-raised cubic, edge- and corner-truncated octahedral, all-corner-truncated rhombic dodecahedral, {100}-truncated rhombic dodecahedral, and rhombic dodecahedral structures have been synthesized. The average sizes for the cubes, edge- and corner-truncated octahedra, {100}-truncated rhombic dodecahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra are approximately 200, 140, 270, and 290 nm, respectively. An aqueous mixture of CuCl(2), sodium dodecyl sulfate, NaOH, and NH(2)OH·HCl was prepared to produce these nanocrystals at room temperature. Simple adjustment of the amounts of NH(2)OH·HCl introduced enables this particle shape evolution. These novel particle morphologies have been carefully analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The solution color changes quickly from blue to green, yellow, and then orange within 1 min of reaction in the formation of nanocubes, while such color change takes 10-20 min in the growth of rhombic dodecahedra. TEM examination confirmed the rapid production of nanocubes and a substantially slower growth rate for the rhombic dodecahedra. The rhombic dodecahedra exposing only the {110} facets exhibit an exceptionally good photocatalytic activity toward the fast and complete photodegradation of methyl orange due to a high number density of surface copper atoms, demonstrating the importance of their successful preparation. They may serve as effective and cheap catalysts for other photocatalytic reactions and organic coupling reactions.     

Polyhedral gold nanocrystals with O h symmetry: from octahedra to cubes

We report the shape and size control of polyhedral gold nanocrystals by a modified polyol process. The rapid reduction of gold precursors in refluxing 1,5-pentanediol has successfully provided a series of gold nanocrystals in the shape of octahedra, truncated octahedra, cuboctahedra, cubes, and higher polygons by incremental changes of silver nitrate concentration. All nanocrystals were obtained quantitatively and were uniform in shape and size in the range of approximately 100 nm. Smaller octahedra and cubes were also prepared by using large amounts of PVP. Silver species generated from AgNO3 seemed to determine the final nanocrystal morphology by the selective growth of {111} and/or the restriction of {100}. The shape evolution of the particles was addressed by quenching the reactions at different time intervals. The approximately 60 nm seeds were generated rapidly and grown slowly with simultaneous edge sharpening. Aging the reaction mixture focused the size and shape of the nanocrystals by Ostwald ripening. We believe that our selective growth conditions can be applied to other shapes and compositions of face-centered cubic metals.     

Shape-controlled synthesis of gold icosahedra and nanoplates using Pluronic P123 block copolymer and sodium chloride

Gold icosahedra with an average diameter of about 600 nm were easily prepared by heating an aqueous solution of the amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)₂₀-poly(propylene oxide)₇₀-poly(ethylene oxide)₂₀ (Pluronic P123), and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) trihydrate (HAuCl₄·3H₂O) at 60 °C for 25 min. When sodium chloride (NaCl:HAuCl₄ molar ratio=10:1) was added to this aqueous solution, gold nanoplates were produced. The chloride ion was found to be a key component in the formation of the gold nanoplates by facilitating the growth of {111} oriented hexagonal/triangular gold nanoplates, because similar gold nanoplates were produced when LiCl or KCl was added to the aqueous solution instead of NaCl, while gold nanocrystals having irregular shapes were produced when NaBr or NaI was added.     

Single-crystalline gold microplates: synthesis, characterization, and thermal stability

Single-crystalline gold microplates of several 10 microm in lateral size, characterized by hexagonal, truncated triangular, and triangular shapes with (111) planes as two basal surfaces, have been synthesized in large quantities through a solution phase process. Significantly, such anisotropic Au nanostructures exhibit remarkable optical properties, in which the dipole plasmon resonance shifting in the NIR region and the quadrupole plasmon resonance at approximately 820 nm were observed. Fragmentation of Au microplates is found when the temperature is higher than 450 degrees C, indicating they are not thermodynamically stable structure at high temperature. Investigations on the Au microplates upon heating suggest that the melting and collapsing start mainly at the edges that should be Au (110) facets. This work is valuable for Au nanostructures applied at elevated temperatures.     

Metal ions induce growth and magnetism alternation of α-Fe2O3 crystals bound by high-index facets

In this study, quasi-cubic and hexagonal bipyramid α-Fe(2)O(3) polyhedrons with high-index facets exposed were controllably synthesized by applying metal ions Zn(2+) or Cu(2+) as structure-directing agents. The growth of the α-Fe(2)O(3) nanostructures with high-index facets were induced by metal ions without the addition of any other surfactants. The quasi-cubic form controlled by Zn(2+) looks like a cube but has an angle of approximately 86° bound by (012), (10-2), and (1-12) facets, whereas the hexagonal bipyramid form controlled by Cu(2+) has a sixfold axis bound by {012} facets. Magnetic measurements confirm that these two kinds of nanocrystals display shape- and surface-dependent magnetic behaviors. The hexagonal bipyramid iron oxide nanocrystals show a lower Morin transition temperature of 240?K and might be spin-canted ferromagnetically controlled at room temperature, and the ferromagnetism disappears at low temperature. The quasi-cubic nanocrystals have a splitting between FC curve and ZFC curve from the highest experimental temperature and no Morin transformation occurs; this indicates that they would be defect ferromagnetically controlled at low temperature. The reported metal-ion-directing technique could provide a universal method for shape- and surface-controlled synthesis of nanocrystals with high-index facets exposed.     

Selective growth of Au nanoparticles on (111) facets of Cu2O microcrystals with an enhanced electrocatalytic property

The selective growth of Au nanoparticles on (111) facets of truncated octahedral and cuboctahedral Cu(2)O crystals has been achieved by exploiting the differences in the standard potential between AuCl(4)(-)/Au and Cu(2+)/Cu(2)O pairs and in surface energies between (111) and (100) planes. The density and size of Au nanoparticles can be controlled by tuning the concentration of the gold precursor. Truncated octahedral Cu(2)O-Au nanocomposites have a 10 times higher electrochemically catalytic activity toward H(2)O(2) reduction than do pure Cu(2)O crystals. The enhanced catalysis may be derived from the polarization of Au NPs at the interface, which makes Cu(2)O more active for H(2)O(2) reduction.     

Synthesis of Ag2O nanocrystals with systematic shape evolution from cubic to hexapod structures and their surface properties

We report the development of a facile method for the synthesis of Ag(2)O crystals with systematic shape evolution from cubic to edge- and corner-truncated cubic, rhombicuboctahedral, edge- and corner-truncated octahedral, octahedral, and hexapod structures by mixing AgNO(3), NH(4)NO(3), and NaOH at molar ratios of 1:2:11.8. A sufficient volume of NaOH solution was first added to a mixture of AgNO(3) and NH(4)NO(3) solution to promote the formation of Ag(NH(3))(2)(+) complex ions and the growth of Ag(2)O nanocrystals with good morphological control. The crystals are mostly submicrometer-sized. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy characterization has been performed to determine the crystalline surface facets. A band gap value of approximately 1.45 eV has been found for the octahedral Ag(2)O crystals. By changing the molar ratios of AgNO(3)/NH(4)NO(3)/NaOH to 1:2:41.8, corner-depressed rhombicuboctahedra and elongated hexapods were obtained as a result of enhanced crystal growth along the [100] directions. Smaller nanocubes with average sizes of approximately 200 and 300 nm and octapods can also be prepared by adjusting the reagent molar ratios and their added volumes. Both the octahedra and hexapods with largely silver atom-terminated {111} surface facets responded repulsively and moved to the surface of the solution when dispersing in a solution of positively charged methylene blue, but can be suspended in a negatively charged methyl orange solution. The cubes and octapods, bounded by the {100} faces, were insensitive to the molecular charges in solution. The dramatic facet-dependent surface properties of Ag(2)O crystals have been demonstrated.