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Research Highlight | Center for Nanoscale Materials

Solvent effects on elemental distribution in HEA nanoparticle synthesis

In a study published in ACS Nanoscience Au, researchers showed how solvent choice in HEA nanoparticle synthesis impacts elemental distribution, with PEG 200 producing uniform nanoparticles and enhancing catalytic performance.

Scientific Achievement

Researchers revealed that the choice of solvent in polyol reduction synthesis of high entropy alloy (HEA) critically influences the spatial elemental distribution.

Significance and Impact

This study highlighted solvent selection’s importance in tailoring nanoparticle properties, offering a pathway to optimize catalytic performance for energy, chemical and environmental applications.

Research Details

  • At the CNM, electron microscopy elemental mapping was used to show the surface composition of PdPtRhIrRu HEA nanoparticles.
  • Electrochemical measurements at the CNM were carried out to provide information on reduction kinetics of metal salts in different solvents.

DOI: 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.5c00057

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The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit https://​sci​ence​.osti​.gov/​U​s​e​r​-​F​a​c​i​l​i​t​i​e​s​/​U​s​e​r​-​F​a​c​i​l​i​t​i​e​s​-​a​t​-​a​-​G​lance.

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