Anisotropic nanostructures have been shown to be key contributors for a variety of next generation electronic, optical, energetic, and biochemical devices, but many of them rely on elementally scarce noble metals. One emerging alternative, aluminum, has been proposed due to its relative elemental abundance. Additionally, we have demonstrated growth of several 3D nanocrystals with faceting analogous to traditional gold and silver shapes. Recent aluminum nanocrystal advances have resulted in increased understanding of size, shape control, and the growth mechanisms to achieve both. Here we demonstrate an adaptation of noble metallic kinetic growth principles to yield extremely high aspect ratio aluminum nanowires and high surface area aluminum nanoplates. By reducing the generation of elemental aluminum atoms during constrained growth, we kinetically force addition along one or two axial directions, leading to 1D and 2D nanostructures. We accomplish this through modification of the catalyst, a factor currently unique to aluminum nanocrystal synthesis, to slow the reduction of AlH<sub>3.</sub> This approach allows for the ability to fine tune the reaction landscape of nanocrystal growth, yielding the first tunable chemical syntheses of highly anisotropic aluminum nanostructures. This work demonstrates a new avenue of research for Al nanocrystal synthesis with a degree of synthetic control that begins to approach that of the noble/coinage metals.

1D and 2D solution-based growth of aluminum nanostructures

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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