Ruthenium Icosahedra and Ultrathin Platelets: The Role of Surface Chemistry on the Nanoparticle Structure

The control of the crystalline structure and shape (crystal habit) of nanoparticles (NPs) is the key to controlling their physical and chemical properties. Among the different metals, the crystallogenesis of ruthenium NPs has been less studied, and until recently, the Ru NP crystal structure and morphology have been considered as presenting less versatility than the face-centered cubic (fcc) metals of the platinum group. Here, we show that while the hydrogenation of [Ru(COD)(COT)] in solutions containing a long- chain amine (hexadecylamine, HDA) in large excess leads to isotropic NPs adopting the expected hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structure of bulk Ru, a long-chain carboxylic acid (lauric acid, LA) in large excess induces the formation of Ru nano-objects of two original structures: ultrathin platelets and icosahedra. The latter have never been produced so systematically by other methods. We show that carbon monoxide, produced in situ by the decarbonylation of lauric acid, plays a pivotal role in the stabilization of the Ru icosahedra. This result is supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which show that above a critical surface coverage of CO, small Ru icosahedra are more stable than the Ru bipyramid polyhedra crystallizing in the hcp structure. Thus, in situ production of CO results in a competition between icosahedral and hcp seeds, which explains the mixture of icosahedra and ultrathin platelets. Another effect of the large excess of lauric acid is the stabilization of the ruthenium precursors in solution, limiting the nucleation extent and slowing down the NP growth. While the growth of the icosahedral seeds is limited because of the structural strains, the growth of the hcp seeds preferentially develops the (0001) facets, leading to ultrathin platelets and threefold stars.

Automated summary

This study reveals that the crystalline structure and shape of ruthenium nanoparticles can be controlled under different reaction conditions. An excess of long-chain amine in the solution leads to the formation of hexagonal close-packed structure, while an excess of long-chain carboxylic acid induces the formation of ultrathin platelets and icosahedra. It is found that carbon monoxide generated in the reaction plays a pivotal role in stabilizing the Ru icosahedra.