Abstract
We demonstrate a room temperature microfluidic reactor (MFR) process for the synthesis of worm-like and chain-like shaped metallic nanoparticles (NPs). These high aspect ratio NPs are in geometrically metastable states, which can be further transformed into ellipsoidal, spherical, or short rod-like species with enhanced crystallinity after their solutions are stirred for several hours and/or undergo sonication for more than half an hour, evidenced by their transmission electron microscope (TEM) images, selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Analysis on the relative stronger shape control ability by the microfluidic process than by the batch process suggests that the attachment and merging of pre-formed nanoclusters along the flow orientation in the microchannel slits may be the main reason for the formation of non-spherical shaped NPs. The result indicates that the room temperature microfluidic process has the potential to assemble primary nanoclusters into two-dimension architectures (i.e., chain-like networks).
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Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate the financial support from Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 50971010), SRF and SEM from Chinese Education Ministry, New Teacher Funds (2008-00061025) of Chinese Education Ministry, and the Research development funds for new teachers at Beihang University (211109). The authors appreciate the time and effort by Dr. L. L. Henry, Department of Physics, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, in reviewing the manuscript for publication.
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Song, Y., Sun, Q., Zhang, T. et al. Synthesis of worm and chain-like nanoparticles by a microfluidic reactor process. J Nanopart Res 12, 2689–2697 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-010-0012-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-010-0012-5