Here we report on the use of terminal and internal alkynes to cap and passivate aluminum nanoparticles (Al NPs). The resulting nanocomposites exhibit exceptional air stability, maintaining active Al contents of at least 70% throughout a 6-week period of air exposure, and it is anticipated that the nanomaterials will maintain their active contents for several months. The nature of the capping mechanism was explored through 13C{1H} NMR and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS). After comparing the retention times and splitting patterns of the caps extracted from the nanomaterials to a commercially available polymer, poly(1-decene), it was determined that the capping monomers were, in fact, being polymerized at the surface of the metal core. Due to the absence of any known polymerization initiator, it was concluded that the metal core was acting as the initiator in a process known as PIERMEN (polymerization initiation by electron rich metal nanoparticles). From the 13C NMR, it was determined that the polymerization of the internal alkyne was complete, but the polymerization was incomplete for the terminal alkyne.

Alkyne passivation of aluminum nanoparticles via PIERMEN

249th National Meeting (2015)

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