A collaboration between researchers of research group of Anh T.N. Dao and H. Nakatani of Nagasaki University , K. Kaneko of Kyushu University, and H. Kasai and H. Yabu of Tohoku University have resulted in a pioneering study in the field of nanomaterials engineering and analysis, providing new perspectives on controlling the structure at atomic scale in fabrication of multi-metallic nanoparticles for catalysis applications.

The paper, titled ” Controlling the Composition and Nanostructure of Au@Ag-Pt Core@Multi-shell Nanoparticles Prepared by Co-reduction Method “, is now available on Elsevier.

This comprehensive study, led by Anh T.N. Dao (Nagasaki University Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology) and Kenji Kaneko (Kyushu University), together with co-authors from Tohoku University, delves into the intricate mechanisms that govern the formation of metallic nanoparticles composed of three different elements. It challenges existing synthetic techniques for nanocrystals and presents innovative models that better design the outcome of heterogeneous structures.

In this paper, we describe a facile way to obtain trimetallic NPs via co-reduction method, a combination of galvanic replacement reaction (GRR) and a versatile reducing agent – sodium citrate, all in one-pot. We have studied the nanostructure and composition with high-end electron microscopic, including high-angle annular dark-field imaging (HAADF) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) equipped in high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and especially the 3-Dimentional tomographic technique. Here, we could clearly visualize the complex structure of Ag-Pt multi-shell composed of a few nanometer Pt granules dispersed within a hollow Ag shell on a ~15 nm Au core, and how to control it by selecting the dominant reaction among the two competing reactions.

■Journal Information
Journal：Materials Chemistry Today
Title：Controlling the composition and nanostructure of Au@Ag–Pt core@multi-shell nanoparticles prepared by co-reduction method
Author：Hu-Jun Lee1, Daisuke Hanyu1, Anh Thi Ngoc Dao2*, Hitoshi Kasai3, Minori Suzuki4, Hiroshi Yabu4, Hisayuki Nakatani2, and Kenji Kaneko1* (1Department of Materials, Kyushu University; 2Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Nagasaki University; 3Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University; 4WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University)
Published: 1 June 2024
URL：https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2024.102132