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Millifluidics for Chemical Synthesis and Time-resolved Mechanistic Studies
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Real-Time Electroanalytical Measurements of Dynamic Reaction Chemistry Provide Generalizable Mechanistic
Gabriel C Halford1, Abigail M Sublett1, Michelle L Personick1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|January 30, 2026
Summary
Open-circuit potential (OCP) measurements offer a simple, real-time method to understand metal nanoparticle growth. This technique reveals how solution chemistry influences nanoparticle shape development and growth control.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- Metal nanoparticle growth is complex, influenced by kinetics and surface passivation.
- Direct, real-time measurement of these factors is difficult, hindering detailed mechanism prediction.
- Existing methods often rationalize growth retrospectively rather than predictively.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate open-circuit potential (OCP) measurements as a facile, in situ method for studying metal nanoparticle growth.
- To reveal the influence of solution chemistry on nanoparticle shape development.
- To distinguish between surface passivation and kinetic control during particle growth.
Main Methods:
- In situ time-resolved open-circuit potential (OCP) measurements of nanoparticle growth solutions.
- Correlating OCP data with point-in-time electron microscopy and elemental analysis.
- Analyzing the mixed potential of solutions to understand growth dynamics.
Main Results:
- OCP measurements provide direct, time-resolved insights into complex nanoparticle growth mechanisms.
- Early, precise changes in solution chemistry critically direct nanoparticle shape trajectories.
- OCP measurements effectively differentiate between surface passivation and kinetic control.
Conclusions:
- OCP measurements are a powerful, stand-alone tool for understanding metal nanoparticle synthesis.
- Generalizable principles for synthetic design can be derived from OCP data.
- Detailed chemical mechanisms governing nanoparticle growth can be extracted from OCP analysis.
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