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The fast and efficient synthesis of nanoparticles on flexible and lightweight substrates is increasingly critical for various medical and wearable applications. However, conventional high temperature (high-T) processes for nanoparticle synthesis are intrinsically incompatible with temperature-sensitive substrates, including textiles and paper ( i.e. low-T substrates). In this work, we report a non-contact, ‘fly-through’ method to synthesize nanoparticles on low-T substrates by rapid radiative heating under short timescales. As a demonstration, textile substrates loaded with platinum (Pt) salt precursor are rapidly heated and quenched as they move across a 2000 K heating source at a continuous production speed of 0.5 cm s −1 . The rapid radiative heating method induces the thermal decomposition of various precursor salts and nanoparticle formation, while the short duration ensures negligible change to the respective low-T substrate along with greatly improved production efficiency. The reported method can be generally applied to the synthesis of metal nanoparticles ( e.g. gold and ruthenium) on various low-T substrates ( e.g. paper). The non-contact and continuous ‘fly-through’ synthesis offers a robust and efficient way to synthesize supported nanoparticles on flexible and lightweight substrates. It is also promising for ultrafast and roll-to-roll manufacturing to enable viable applications. 

Abstract Despite major progress in the investigation of boron cluster anions, direct experimental study of neutral boron clusters remains a significant challenge because of the difficulty in size selection. Here we report a size‐specific study of the neutral B₉cluster using threshold photoionization with a tunable vacuum ultraviolet free electron laser. The ionization potential of B₉is measured to be 8.45±0.02 eV and it is found to have a heptagonal bipyramidD_7hstructure, quite different from the planar molecular wheel of the B₉^‐anionic cluster. Chemical bonding analyses reveal superior stability of the bipyramidal structure arising from delocalized σ and π bonding interactions within the B₇ring and between the B₇ring and the capping atoms. Photoionization of B₉breaks the single‐electron B‐B bond of the capping atoms, which undergo off‐axis distortion to enhance interactions with the B₇ring in the singlet ground state of B₉⁺. The single‐electron B‐B bond of the capping atoms appears to be crucial in stabilizing theD_7hstructure of B₉. This work opens avenues for direct size‐dependent experimental studies of a large variety of neutral boron clusters to explore the stepwise development of network structures. 

Multimetallic nanoclusters (MMNCs) offer unique and tailorable surface chemistries that hold great potential for numerous catalytic applications. The efficient exploration of this vast chemical space necessitates an accelerated discovery pipeline that supersedes traditional “trial-and-error” experimentation while guaranteeing uniform microstructures despite compositional complexity. Herein, we report the high-throughput synthesis of an extensive series of ultrafine and homogeneous alloy MMNCs, achieved by 1) a flexible compositional design by formulation in the precursor solution phase and 2) the ultrafast synthesis of alloy MMNCs using thermal shock heating (i.e., ∼1,650 K, ∼500 ms). This approach is remarkably facile and easily accessible compared to conventional vapor-phase deposition, and the particle size and structural uniformity enable comparative studies across compositionally different MMNCs. Rapid electrochemical screening is demonstrated by using a scanning droplet cell, enabling us to discover two promising electrocatalysts, which we subsequently validated using a rotating disk setup. This demonstrated high-throughput material discovery pipeline presents a paradigm for facile and accelerated exploration of MMNCs for a broad range of applications.