What is happening at the atomic level during the seed-mediated growth of copper on gold?
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42555730.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aee8346.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Bimetallic nanocrystals obtained via seed-mediated growth are typically analyzed using conventional electron microscopy and many interesting features at the atomic level are often missed. Here we report the seed-mediated growth of copper (Cu) on gold (Au) nanospheres for the synthesis of Au-Cu bimetallic nanocrystals enclosed by a Janus surface comprised of an ordered intermetallic phase and a disordered alloy. Initially, the abundant Cu(II) precursor enables uniform Cu deposition, followed by inter-diffusion to generate an ultrathin shell made of intermetallic Au<sub>1</sub>Cu<sub>1</sub>. The growth subsequently evolves into an asymmetric mode, where Cu deposition preferentially proceeds at one activated site to generate Au<sub>x</sub>Cu<sub>y</sub> alloy with a graded composition. When tested for nitrate reduction, the Janus nanocrystals show 100% Faradaic efficiency across a wide potential range and a high ammonia yield rate.