Ligands adsorbed on surfaces play an important role in nanostructures to expose desired facets and achieve particular shapes of nanomaterials due to the ligands altering surface energies. Nanoparticle oxides with metals from different families, such as alkali earth or transition metals, interact with specific ligand groups to achieve nanosheet structures. A current gap in research is studying the interaction of ligands not typically used within an oxide family and the resulting morphology, such as investigating the application of amines that are typically used to transform transition metal oxides on alkali earth metal oxides. Prior research has demonstrated that alkali metal oxides and transition metal oxides use hydroxyls and amines respectively for morphology evolution. MgO nanoparticles undergo a 3D to 2D transformation becoming (111) nanosheets due to hydroxyls adsorbed, thereby stabilizing the polar nature of (111) facets. This oxide can be exposed to water vapor or dissolved into liquid water to achieve nanosheet structures. Transition metal oxide nanoparticles transform into nanosheets during synthesis in the growth solution when amine ligands, adsorbed to the cations, change the surface energy, making nanosheets the lowest energy structure instead of nanoparticles. Phosphines have not been previously studied and have a different electronegativity than the amines commonly used with transition metal oxides, but the phosphines do have a similar electron structure and lone pair, implying this ligand group could provide further insight into the ligand properties that influence dimensional restructuring. Understanding how electronegativity of the ligand affects faceting will allow for increased precision in synthesizing desired facets. Alkali earth metal oxides (MgO, CaO) and transition metal oxides (CoO, NiO, MnO) will be studied in combination with hydroxyl, amine, and phosphine ligands which will be added <i>in situ</i> and post-synthesis to investigate how nanosheet growth changes based on when the ligands are added and investigated for oxides in both families. Results from this study provide another potential synthesis route for achieving precise surfaces in a nanosheet morphology and deepen understanding on ligand properties and their influence on dimensional transformation.

Transforming nanoparticles into nanosheets (3D to 2D): Novel synthesis approach to grow desired facets

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.