A Novel Method to Improve Crystallinity of Supported Nanoparticles Using Low Melting Point Metals

Y Liu and ZP Zhu and GY Liu and ZH Xu and SM Kuznicki and H Zhang, JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C, 115, 14591-14597 (2011).

DOI: 10.1021/jp203155z

The crystallinity of nanoparticles plays a crucial role in controlling materials' mechanical, catalytic, magnetic and electronic properties. A novel method to improve the crystallinity of nanoparticles by doping and releasing of low melting point amalgamating metals was proposed and tested. The HRTEM micrographs of AgMC, Hg-doped AgMC, and Hg-released AgMC exhibited a significant improvement in crystallinity of silver nanoparticles supported on chabazite by a mercury adsorption-desorption cycle. Molecular dynamics simulation showed that after doping and removing of amalgamating mercury atoms on a silver nanoparticle with pre-existing defects, the majority of the defects were eliminated and the crystallinity was greatly improved, while such an improvement could not be achieved by conventional thermal annealing.

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