Atomic Layer Deposition Route To Tailor Nanoalloys of Noble and Non-noble Metals

Since their early discovery, bimetallic nanoparticles have revolutionized various fields, including nanomagnetism and optics as well as heterogeneous catalysis. Knowledge buildup in the past decades has witnessed that the nanoparticle size and composition strongly impact the nanoparticle's properties and performance. Yet, conventional synthesis strategies lack proper control over the nanoparticle morphology and composition. Recently, atomically precise synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles has been achieved by atomic layer deposition (ALD), alleviating particle size and compositional nonuniformities. However, this bimetal ALD strategy applies to noble metals only, a small niche within the extensive class of bimetallic alloys. We report an ALD-based approach for the tailored synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles containing both noble and non-noble metals, here exemplified for Pt-In. First, a Pt/In2O3 bilayer is deposited by ALD, yielding precisely defined Pt-In nanoparticles after high-temperature H2 reduction. The nanoparticles' In content can be accurately controlled over the whole compositional range, and the particle size can be tuned from micrometers down to the nanometer scale. The size and compositional flexibility provided by this ALD-approach will trigger the fabrication of fully tailored bimetallic nanomaterials, including superior nanocatalysts.