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Flash light synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles for electrochemical applications: silver, gold, and their alloys

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Abstract

The synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles (i.e., silver and gold) for electrochemical applications has been widely studied using mainly wet synthesis chemical methods or electrochemical deposition methods. In this work, we propose a single-step flash photochemical method for synthesizing noble metal nanoparticles (i.e., silver, gold, and Au:Ag) in solution for electrochemical applications. The method is based on the intense pulsed radiation emitted from a xenon flashlamp, which induce the reduction of metal cations in solution to form metallic nanoparticles. The present method is based on the selective light absorption of the metal precursor salts combined with the decomposition of polyvinylpyrrolidone added to the solution. This approach can be termed as flash light synthesis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Emad Oveisi from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Microscopy (CIME), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne for the assistance in the transmission electron microscopy and the XXII SIBEE organization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Valais Wallis, Rue de l’Industrie 17, CH-1950, Sion, Switzerland

    Victor Costa Bassetto, Wanderson Oliveira Silva, Carlos M. Pereira & Hubert H. Girault

  2. Centro de Investigação em Química (CIQ-UP) Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal

    Carlos M. Pereira

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  1. Victor Costa Bassetto
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  2. Wanderson Oliveira Silva
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  4. Hubert H. Girault
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Correspondence to Hubert H. Girault.

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Costa Bassetto, V., Oliveira Silva, W., Pereira, C.M. et al. Flash light synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles for electrochemical applications: silver, gold, and their alloys. J Solid State Electrochem 24, 1781–1788 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-020-04521-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-020-04521-5

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