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A Technique to Functionalize and Self-assemble Macroscopic Nanoparticle-ligand Monolayer Films onto Template-free Substrates
Published on: May 9, 2014
Pt nanocrystals: shape control and Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer formation
Hyunjoon Song1, Franklin Kim, Stephen Connor
1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Abstract:
We report the synthesis of monodisperse Pt nanocrystals with three different shapes-cubes, cuboctahedra, and octahedra, selectively, with similar sizes of 9-10 nm by a modified polyol process. We found that addition of silver ion enhances the crystal growth rate along 100, and essentially determines the shape and surface structure of the Pt nanocrystals. After the reaction, the silver species can be easily removed by repetitive precipitation giving pure Pt nanoparticles. Two-dimensional arrays of the Pt nanocrystals were assembled by using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method. The particles were evenly distributed on the entire substrate, and their surface coverage and density can be precisely controlled by tuning the surface pressure. The resulting Pt LB layers are potential candidates for 2-D model catalysts as a result of their high surface area and the structural uniformity of the metal nanocrystals.
