We report a facile route to the synthesis of Ag@Au–Pt trimetallic nanocubes in which the Ag, Au, and Pt atoms are exposed at the corners, side faces, and edges, respectively. Our success relies on the use of Ag@Au nanocubes, with Ag 2 O patches at the corners and Au on the side faces and edges, as seeds for the site-selective deposition of Pt on the edges only in a reaction system containing ascorbic acid (H 2 Asc) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone). At an initial pH of 3.2, H 2 Asc can dissolve the Ag 2 O patches, exposing the Ag atoms at the corners of a nanocube. Upon the injection of the H 2 PtCl 6 precursor, the Pt atoms derived from the reduction by both H 2 Asc and Ag are preferentially deposited on the edges, leading to the formation of Ag@Au–Pt trimetallic nanocubes. We demonstrate the use of 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide as a molecular probe to confirm and monitor the deposition of Pt atoms on the edges of nanocubes through surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We further explore the use of these bifunctional trimetallic nanoparticles with integrated plasmonic and catalytic properties for in situ SERS monitoring the reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol by NaBH 4 . Upon the removal of Ag via H 2 O 2 etching, the Ag@Au–Pt nanocubes evolve into trimetallic nanoboxes with a wall thickness of about 2 nm and well-defined openings at the corners. The trimetallic nanoboxes embrace plasmon resonance peaks in the near-infrared region with potential in biomedical applications.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on July 8, 2025
Formation of Supernarrow Borophene Nanoribbons
Borophenes have sparked considerable interest owing to their fascinating physical characteristics and diverse polymorphism. However, borophene nanoribbons (BNRs) with widths less than 2 nm have not been achieved. Herein, we report the experimental realization of supernarrow BNRs. Combining scanning tunneling microscopy imaging with density functional theory modeling and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that, under the applied growth conditions, boron atoms can penetrate the outermost layer of Au(111) and form BNRs composed of a pair of zigzag (2,2) boron rows. The BNRs have a width self‐contained to ∼1 nm and dipoles at the edges to keep them separated. They are embedded in the outermost Au layer and shielded on top by the evacuated Au atoms, free of the need for post‐passivation. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy reveals distinct edge states, primarily attributed to the localized spin at the BNRs’ zigzag edges. This work adds a new member to the boron material family and introduces a new physical feature to borophenes.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 2403841
- PAR ID:
- 10565884
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-VCH
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Volume:
- 63
- Issue:
- 28
- ISSN:
- 1433-7851
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
more » « less
Abstract The geometrical structure of the Au‐Fe2O3interfacial perimeter, which is generally considered as the active sites for low‐temperature oxidation of CO, was examined. It was found that the activity of the Au/Fe2O3catalysts not only depends on the number of the gold atoms at the interfacial perimeter but also strongly depends on the geometrical structure of these gold atoms, which is determined by the size of the gold particle. Aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy images unambiguously suggested that the gold particles, transformed from a two‐dimensional flat shape to a well‐faceted truncated octahedron when the size slightly enlarged from 2.2 to 3.5 nm. Such a size‐induced shape evolution altered the chemical bonding environments of the gold atoms at the interfacial perimeters and consequently their catalytic activity. For Au particles with a mean size of 2.2 nm, the interfacial perimeter gold atoms possessed a higher degree of unsaturated coordination environment while for Au particles with a mean size of 3.5 nm the perimeter gold atoms mainly followed the atomic arrangements of Au {111} and {100} facets. Kinetic study, with respect to the reaction rate and the turnover frequency on the interfacial perimeter gold atom, found that the low‐coordinated perimeter gold atoms were intrinsically more active for CO oxidation.18O isotopic titration and Infrared spectroscopy experiments verified that CO oxidation at room temperature occurred at the Au‐Fe2O3interfacial perimeter, involving the participation of the lattice oxygen of Fe2O3for activating O2and the gold atoms for CO adsorption and activation.
-
more » « less
Abstract The geometrical structure of the Au‐Fe2O3interfacial perimeter, which is generally considered as the active sites for low‐temperature oxidation of CO, was examined. It was found that the activity of the Au/Fe2O3catalysts not only depends on the number of the gold atoms at the interfacial perimeter but also strongly depends on the geometrical structure of these gold atoms, which is determined by the size of the gold particle. Aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy images unambiguously suggested that the gold particles, transformed from a two‐dimensional flat shape to a well‐faceted truncated octahedron when the size slightly enlarged from 2.2 to 3.5 nm. Such a size‐induced shape evolution altered the chemical bonding environments of the gold atoms at the interfacial perimeters and consequently their catalytic activity. For Au particles with a mean size of 2.2 nm, the interfacial perimeter gold atoms possessed a higher degree of unsaturated coordination environment while for Au particles with a mean size of 3.5 nm the perimeter gold atoms mainly followed the atomic arrangements of Au {111} and {100} facets. Kinetic study, with respect to the reaction rate and the turnover frequency on the interfacial perimeter gold atom, found that the low‐coordinated perimeter gold atoms were intrinsically more active for CO oxidation.18O isotopic titration and Infrared spectroscopy experiments verified that CO oxidation at room temperature occurred at the Au‐Fe2O3interfacial perimeter, involving the participation of the lattice oxygen of Fe2O3for activating O2and the gold atoms for CO adsorption and activation.
-
Isolated pyramids, 30–80 nm wide and 3–20 nm tall, form during sputter-annealing cycles on the Ge (110) surface. Pyramids have four walls with {19 13 1} faceting and a steep mound at the apex. We used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions to periodically image the surface at ion energies between 100 eV and 500 eV and incremental total flux. Pyramids are seen using Ar+ between 200 eV and 400 eV, and require Ag to be present on the sample or sample holder. We suspect that the pyramids are initiated by Ag co-sputtered onto the surface. Growth of pyramids is due to the gathering of step edges with (16 × 2) reconstruction around the pyramid base during layer-by-layer removal of the substrate, and conversion to {19 13 1} faceting. The absence of pyramids using Ar+ energies above 400 eV is likely due to surface damage that is insufficiently annealed.more » « less
-
more » « less
Scanning tunneling electroluminescence (STL) microscopy is performed on a 3 nm‐thick InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) with [In] = 0.23 such that the main light emission occurs in the green. The technique is used to map the radiative recombination properties at a scale of a few nanometers and correlate the local electroluminescence map with the surface topography simultaneously imaged by scanning tunneling microscopy. While the expected green emission is observed all over the sample, measurements performed on a 500 nm × 500 nm area around a 150 nm‐large and 2.5 nm‐deep hexagonal defect reveal intense emission peaks at higher energies close to the defect edges, features which are not visible in the macrophotoluminescence spectrum of the sample. Via a fitting of the local tunneling electroluminescence spectra, quantitative information on the fluctuations of the intensity, peak energy, width, and phonon replica intensity of the different spectral contributions is obtained, which provides information on carrier localization in the QW. This procedure also indicates that the carrier diffusion length on the probed area of the QW is shorter than 50 nm.
