Ag-Pt alloy nanoparticles with the compositions in the miscibility gap

Silver platinum binary alloys with compositions between about Ag2Pt98 and Ag95Pt5 at < similar to 400 degrees C have largely not been observed in bulk due to the large immiscibility between these two metals. We present in this paper that Ag-Pt alloy nanostructures can be made in a broad composition range. The formation of Ag-Pt nanostructures is studied by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). Our results indicate that lattice parameter changes almost linearly with composition in these Ag-Pt nanomaterials. In another word, lattice parameter and composition relationship follows the Vegard's law, which is a strong indication for the formation of metal alloys. Our transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study shows that the silver-rich Ag-Pt alloy nanostructures have spherical shape, while the platinum-rich ones possess wire-like morphology. The stability and crystal phase are investigated by annealing the alloy nanostructures directly OF on carbon supports. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.