On the Use of Laser Fragmentation for the Synthesis of Ligand-Free Ultra-Small Iron Nanoparticles in Various Liquid Environments

Nanomaterials

Martin Cvek¹  Michal Urbánek¹  Vincenzo Amendola²  Dariusz Łukowiec³  Michal Kotek⁴  Ondřej Havelka⁴  Darina Jašíková⁴  Rafael Torres-Mendieta⁴  Miroslav Černík⁴ 

[1] Centre of Polymer Systems, University Institute, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Třída T. Bati 5678, 760 01 Zlín, Czech Republic;Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, I-35131 Padova, Italy;Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18 a St., 44-100 Gliwice, Poland;Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation, Technical University of Liberec, Studentská 1402/2, 461 17 Liberec, Czech Republic;

关键词: iron nanoparticles;    ultra-small nanoparticles;    nZVI;    stabilization effect;    laser fragmentation in liquid;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nano11061538

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Traditionally, the synthesis of nanomaterials in the ultra-small size regime (1–3 nm diameter) has been linked with the employment of excessive amounts of hazardous chemicals, inevitably leading to significant environmentally detrimental effects. In the current work, we demonstrate the potential of laser fragmentation in liquids (LFL) to produce highly pure and stable iron ultra-small nanoparticles. This is carried out by reducing the size of carbonyl iron microparticles dispersed in various polar solvents (water, ethanol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol 400) and liquid nitrogen. The explored method enables the fabrication of ligand-free iron oxide ultra-small nanoparticles with diameter in the 1–3 nm range, a tight size distribution, and excellent hydrodynamic stability (zeta potential > 50 mV). The generated particles can be found in different forms, including separated ultra-small NPs, ultra-small NPs forming agglomerates, and ultra-small NPs together with zero-valent iron, iron carbide, or iron oxide NPs embedded in matrices, depending on the employed solvent and their dipolar moment. The LFL technique, aside from avoiding chemical waste generation, does not require any additional chemical agent, other than the precursor microparticles immersed in the corresponding solvent. In contrast to their widely exploited chemically synthesized counterparts, the lack of additives and chemical residuals may be of fundamental interest in sectors requiring colloidal stability and the largest possible number of chemically active sites, making the presented pathway a promising alternative for the clean design of new-generation nanomaterials.

【 授权许可】

Unknown