• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.315-324
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• 2003

In this study, a new method is presented to produce stable hydrophobic metal alloy nanocluster in chloroform solution including surfactant NaAOT(sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)-sulfosuccinate) via the chemical reduction of metal salt $(HAuCl_4,\AgNO_3,\Cu(NO_3)_2)$ by sodium borohydride. For the alloy nanocluster, several samples were prepared by changing the molar ratio of Au/Cu, Au/Ag alloy nanocluster, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3. The alloy nanoclusters were characterized by UV-Visible spectrophotometer, TEM(Transmission Electron Microscope), and XPS(X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer). With the change of the mole ratio of the alloy component, the wavelengths of the surface plasmon absorption shift linearly from 520 nm of the pure Au nanocluster to 570 nm of the pure Cu nanocluster for Au/Cu alloy nanoclusters and from 405 nm to 520 nm for Au/Ag alloy nanoclusters. The chemical shifts of the Au4f, Ag3d, Cu2p XPS peaks were observed with changing the molar ratio of the alloy element. The alloy nanoclusters in chloroform solution were made uniformly in size and colloidally stable for long periods of time. These results indicate that the method here is a very effective method for synthesizing hydrophobic alloy nanoclusters with uniform or nearly uniform particle size distribution.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.47 no.8
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• pp.461-465
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• 2009

We study the diffusion of Ag based bimetallic nanoclusters supported on graphite. Using a molecular dynamics simulation, we reveal that the Ag clusters show rapid diffusion because of their hexagonal bottom layer. In order to decrease the rate of diffusion, we added Pt and Ni to distort the structure of the alloy cluster (i.e., the alloying method). We expected Pt to provide a stronger force on Ag atoms, and Ni to shorten the bond length and thereby change the structure of Ag cluster. However, the attempt was unsuccessful, because Pt and Ni atoms formed cores inside the Ag clusters. We therefore designed a collision system where large Ag clusters collide with small Pt or Ni clusters. Upon collision with Pt clusters, the diffusion showed little change, because Pt atoms are substituted at the Ag atomic site and form a perfectly ordered structure. The collision with Ni, however, deforms the bottom layer as well as the overall cluster structure and decreases diffusion. This outcome appoints toward the possibility of further application to the manufacture of durable nanocatalysts.