Ten Andrey, Boukouvala Christina, Lomonosov Vladimir, Ringe Emilie
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, UK.
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK.
Nanoscale Horiz. 2025 Jun 9. doi: 10.1039/d5nh00205b.
Mg is a low-cost, earth-abundant, and biocompatible plasmonic metal. Fine tuning of its optical response, required for successful light-harvesting applications, can be achieved by controlling Mg nanoparticle size and shape. Mg's hexagonal close packed crystal structure leads to the formation of a variety of unique shapes in colloidal synthesis, ranging from single crystalline hexagonal platelets to twinned rods. Yet, shape control in colloidal Mg nanoparticle synthesis is challenging due to complex nucleation and growth kinetics. Here, we present an approach to manipulate Mg nanoparticle shape by one-pot synthesis followed by colloidal etching with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We demonstrate how tips and edges in faceted Mg nanoparticles can be preferentially etched to produce quasi-spherical nanoparticles with smooth surfaces. The developed approach provides an essential shape control tool in colloidal Mg synthesis potentially applicable to other oxidising metals.
镁是一种低成本、储量丰富且具有生物相容性的等离子体金属。对于成功的光捕获应用而言，其光学响应的精细调节可通过控制镁纳米颗粒的尺寸和形状来实现。镁的六方密堆积晶体结构导致在胶体合成中形成各种独特形状，从单晶六方片状到孪晶棒状不等。然而，由于复杂的成核和生长动力学，胶体镁纳米颗粒合成中的形状控制具有挑战性。在此，我们提出一种通过一锅法合成然后用多环芳烃进行胶体蚀刻来操纵镁纳米颗粒形状的方法。我们展示了如何优先蚀刻多面镁纳米颗粒的尖端和边缘以产生具有光滑表面的准球形纳米颗粒。所开发的方法为胶体镁合成提供了一种重要的形状控制工具，可能适用于其他氧化性金属。
