Chemically-mechanically assisted synthesis of metallic and oxide nanoparticles in ambient conditions

Based on the redox principle of galvanic displacement reaction, active metal foils, including magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al) and cobalt (Co), were creatively introduced as new heterogeneous reducing media and were successfully employed in the presence of sonomechanical assistance to produce metallic nanoparticles such as silver, copper, tin and metal oxides such as those of iron, cobalt and ruthenium. Various combinations were investigated to determine the optimum ion/foil pairings for dense and monodisperse colloids. A wide range of nanoscale metallic species can be achieved by this method given optimum combination of ion/foil pairing. This new strategy greatly enriches and extends the existing methods for metallic nanoparticles preparation.