Au-Pt Bimetallic Nanoparticles Research Articles

Two birds with one stone: oyster mushroom mediated bimetallic Au-Pt nanoparticles for agro-waste management and anticancer activity.

Agriculture has the most significant contribution in fulfilling the basic human need, sustaining life, and strengthening the economy of any country. To feed the exploding population of the world, there has been a quantum jump in the production of agricultural commodities, which has led to the production of a substantial considerable quantity of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes. The bulks of these wastes are lignocellulosic in nature and consist of three main polymeric constituents, i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which are recalcitrant. The primary significant portions of these remain unutilized and are burnt in the field, leading to severe environmental aggression and wastage of resource. Farmers across the globe, including India, burn these agricultural wastes in their thousands of acre land, which contribute to spoiling the air quality index (AQI). This is very harmful, especially to children, pregnant women, old adults, and for patients suffering from respiratory diseases. The current manuscript sets up an agro-waste management platform by using paddy straw as a substrate for the production of nutritionally and medically rich oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida (Pf) and which is further used in the green synthesis of bimetallic (gold-platinum) Au-Pt nanoparticle. Yield performance and biological efficiency of Pf were calculated from the degraded paddy straw. The green synthesized Au-Pt NPs were structurally characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and zeta potential analysis. The prepared NPs showed a face-centered cubic crystal structure, icosahedral shape with a mean particle size of 16nm. Furthermore, we examined the cytotoxic activity of Au-Pt NPs using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and apoptosis by propidium iodide assay. We found that Au-Pt NPs exerted apoptotic activity on the human colon cancer cell line (HCT 116) in a dose-dependent manner from 12.5 to 200μg/mL. Overall, our findings create a prototype and open a new door to synthesizing functional nanoparticle by using oyster mushroom as the substrate for paddy straw agro-waste management and the applicability of Pf in the synthesis of eco-friendly Au-Pt NPs. This is the first kind of approach that kills two birds with one stone.

Agglomerates of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles: synthesis and antibacterial activity

The extraction of bimetallic Au-Pt nanoparticles is interesting due to their multiple applications in catalytic processes, electronic devices, photothermal therapies, among others. On the other hand, the tendency of nanoparticles forming agglomerates may modify the behavior of the material, and thus their applications. This study shows a highly reproducible novel synthesis method, which only uses two organic agents (sucrose and ascorbic acid) as the reducing and stabilizing agents from nano-agglomerates of Au-Pt at room temperature. The TEM images show agglomerates with a mass fractal structure. We identified crystalline FCC, corresponding to the Au-Pt alloy. Furthermore, the coexistence of gold and platinum nanoparticles was shown through the EDS analysis. The UV-Vis spectrum showed that the resonance plasmon identified coincides with a great approximation to the results reported in the literature. Additionally, the agglomerates exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against bacteria Escherichia coli.

Doxorubicin conjugated hydrophilic AuPt bimetallic nanoparticles fabricated from Phragmites australis: Characterization and cytotoxic activity against human cancer cells

In this study, a hybrid hydrophilic bimetallic gold-platinum (AuPtNPs) was prepared via an eco-friendly method and then conjugated with doxorubicin (DOX) to investigate their mechanism of action against human cancer cell lines. The physicochemical properties of the prepared DOX-loaded AuPtNPs (DOX@AuPtNPs) were investigated using UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed phytochemicals-based efficient capping and loading of DOX onto the AuPtNPs surface (83%) via a simple incubation technique. DOX release kinetics studies indicated a pH-controlled dependency response under acidic tumor condition. The in vitro anticancer evaluation showed that the DOX-loaded AuPtNPs induced a three-fold cell death to human cancer cells compared to DOX alone. Moreover, the luminescent data from a real-time, bioluminescent recombinant annexin V assay indicated that the DOX@AuPtNPs nanocarrier exhibited a time-released phosphatidylserine exposure; an apoptosis induction marker and cell-specific response against MCF-7 cells compared to A459 cells. The results suggested that the preparation method is facile, and the prepared hydrophilic AuPtNPs proved effective in DOX loading and delivery against human cancer cells therefore, demonstrating potential as an alternative cancer treatment.

Pt-Au bimetallic nanoparticles with peroxidase-like activity and their applications for ascorbic acid(AA) detection

Pt-Au bimetallic nanoparticles with peroxidase-like activity and their applications for ascorbic acid(AA) detection

In vivo toxicity and antimicrobial activity of AuPt bimetallic nanoparticles

Despite the potential antimicrobial activity of metallic nanoparticles, the increasing concerns about nanosafety have been holding back the use of these materials in therapeutics and biomedical devices. In the last years, several studies called attention to metallic nanoparticles toxicity. In the most part of in vitro studies performed with mammalian cells, metallic NPs reduced cell viability and induced genotoxicity and inflammatory responses. Bimetallic NPs have attracted great attention because they present distinct and even more advanced characteristics when compared to nanoparticles formed by a single metal. Recently, bimetallic NPs have emerged as an alternative to improve the antimicrobial activity of metallic nanoparticles, aiming at the broadening of the action spectrum and the reduction of the toxicity. However, the biocompatibility of bimetallic nanoparticles has been demonstrated only by in vitro studies. In the present work, the toxicity of AuPt nanoparticles was addressed both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of AuPt bimetallic nanoparticles has been evaluated in comparison with Au and Ag nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The antimicrobial activity was studied against Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The toxicity of nanoparticles was evaluated in vitro by analyzing their toxicity against human fibroblast cells (HS68 cell line) and in vivo by embryonic toxicity test in zebrafish (Danio rerio). The results confirmed the intrinsic antimicrobial activity of the three types of nanoparticles but different toxicity. Bimetallic nanoparticles showed enhanced antimicrobial activity in comparison with Au nanoparticles but lower antimicrobial activity compared with Ag nanoparticles. However, AuPt nanoparticles showed great advantage over Ag nanoparticles due to the absence of cytotoxicity and lower toxicity in vivo.

Controllable Synthesis of Surface Pt-Rich Bimetallic AuPt Nanocatalysts for Selective Hydrogenation Reactions.

Bimetallic nanocatalysts, with efficient and controllable catalytic performance, have a promising application in chemical production. In this study, surface Pt-rich bimetallic AuPt nanoparticles with different Pt/Au ratios were prepared and tested in selective hydrogenation reactions of substituted nitroaromatics. Au nanoparticles were first prepared with n-butyllithium as a rapid reducer, which were further used as seeds in the slow growth process of Pt atoms. Because of the employed sequential reduction method and the following atom diffusion, surface Pt-rich bimetallic AuPt nanoparticles were obtained. Compared with the uniform AuPt alloy nanocatalysts synthesized by the co-reduction method with n-butyllithium as the reducer and monometallic Pt nanocatalysts, the obtained surface Pt-rich AuPt bimetallic nanocatalysts presented an enhanced catalytic selectivity or activity. The performance enhancement is assigned to the optimized Au/Pt interaction in the surface Pt-rich bimetallic nanostructures. This work demonstrates that the optimization of the stoichiometry and construction of bimetallic materials is a feasible method to synthesize controllable and efficient nanocatalysts.

AuPt/MOF-Graphene: A Synergistic Catalyst with Surprisingly High Peroxidase-Like Activity and Its Application for H2O2 Detection.

Here, we report ZIF-8-reduced graphene oxide (ZIF-8-rGO)-supported bimetallic AuPt nanoparticles (AuPtNPs) as a novel peroxidase mimic for high-sensitivity detection of H2O2 in neutral solution. ZIF-8-graphene oxide (ZIF-8-GO) is first synthesized via a simple wet-chemistry process and subsequently immobilized with AuPtNPs via a reduction method. The resultant AuPt/ZIF-8-rGO shows enhanced peroxidase-like catalytic activity and it is applied for the electrochemical detection of H2O2 in a wide concentration range, from 100 nM to 18 mM, with a very low detection limit of 19 nM (S/N = 3). This good electroanalytical performance of AuPt/ZIF-8-rGO is owing to the ultrasmall size and high dispersion of the AuPtNPs, the strong metal-support interaction between the AuPtNPs and ZIF-8-rGO bisupport, and the sandwich-like structure comprising porous ZIF-8 and loosely packed rGO nanosheets. The AuPt/ZIF-8-rGO is employed for the practical detection of H2O2 in human serum samples with desirable properties. Therefore, the novel AuPt/ZIF-8-rGO is a promising nanozyme for various biotechnological and environmental applications.

Ultrasonic Influence on Plasmonic Effects Exhibited by Photoactive Bimetallic Au-Pt Nanoparticles Suspended in Ethanol.

The optical behavior exhibited by bimetallic nanoparticles was analyzed by the influence of ultrasonic and nonlinear optical waves in propagation through the samples contained in an ethanol suspension. The Au-Pt nanoparticles were prepared by a sol-gel method. Optical characterization recorded by UV-vis spectrophotometer shows two absorption peaks correlated to the synergistic effects of the bimetallic alloy. The structure and nanocrystalline nature of the samples were confirmed by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy evaluations. The absorption of light associated with Surface Plasmon Resonance phenomena in the samples was modified by the dynamic influence of ultrasonic effects during the propagation of optical signals promoting nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction. The third-order nonlinear optical response of the nanoparticles dispersed in the ethanol-based fluid was explored by nanosecond pulses at 532 nm. The propagation of high-frequency sound waves through a nanofluid generates a destabilization in the distribution of the nanoparticles, avoiding possible agglomerations. Besides, the influence of mechanical perturbation, the container plays a major role in the resonance and attenuation effects. Ultrasound interactions together to nonlinear optical phenomena in nanofluids is a promising alternative field for a wide of applications for modulating quantum signals, sensors and acousto-optic devices.

A voltammetric hybridization assay for microRNA-21 using carboxylated graphene oxide decorated with gold-platinum bimetallic nanoparticles.

An electrochemical hybridization assay is described for the determination of microRNA-21. Fluorine tin oxide (FTO) sheets were coated with carboxylated graphene oxide followed by deposition of gold-platinum bimetallic nanoparticles by using chronoamperometry at a potential of -0.2V for 350s. The capture probe was immobilized on the surface of the modified FTO sheets by biotin-avidin interaction. On exposure to microRNA-21, hybridization occurs, and that can be detected at a relatively low working potential of 0.25V by using ferri/ferro-cyanide as an electrochemical probe. The various modifications of the FTO sheets were characterized by means of FE-SEM, FT-IR, contact angle studies and electrochemical techniques. The effects of pH value, EDC-NHS activation time, concentration of capture probe and incubation time were optimized. The sensor has a wide linear response that extends from 1 fM to 1μM of microRNA-21, and the detection limit is 1 fM. The sensor is stable for about 15days (by retaining 90% of its initial activity) and can be reused for about 3 times (85% of initial activity) after regeneration with 50mM NaOH solution. The sensor was applied to the analysis of spiked human serum and gave recoveries between 90 and 111%. Graphical abstract Carboxylated graphene oxide (CGO) coated on a fluorine tin oxide (FTO) electrode was decorated with Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (Au-PtBNPs). The Au-PtBNPs/CGO/FTO electrode surface was used for immobilizing streptavidin and biotinylated capture probe which can electrochemically detect microRNA-21 based on its sequence complementarity.

(Invited) Design of Nanomaterial-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive Detection of Nitric Oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) plays important roles in myriad biological processes and is considered as a biomarker of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, symptoms of vaginitis, and cancer. Sensitive detection of NO molecules is vital toward the understanding of cell functionality and pathology as well as to the diagnosis of disease, drug discovery, and biological research [1-4]. Here, we report on the development of high-performance NO electrochemical sensors based on the nanocomposite of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and AuPt bimetallic nanoparticles (rGO-AuPt) and the nanoporous Au microelectrode. The rGO-AuPt nanocomposites were formed a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using an electrochemical method. The prepared nanocomposites were tested for the electrochemical detection of NO using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and amperometric methods. The dependence of AuPt molar ratios on the electrochemical performance was investigated. Through the combination of the advantages of the high conductivity from rGO and highly electrocatalytic activity from AuPt bimetallic nanoparticles, the rGO-AuPt based NO sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 7.35 µA µM-1 and a low detection limit of 2.88 nM. Additionally, negligible interference from common ions or organic molecules was observed, and the r-GO-AuPt modified electrode demonstrated excellent stability. Moreover, this optimized electrochemical sensor was practicable for efficiently monitoring the NO released from rat cardiac cells, which were stimulated by L-arginine (L-arg), showing that stressed cells generated over 10 times more NO than normal cells. The nanoporous gold microelectrode was fabricated via an electrochemical alloying/dealloying method. It exhibited a high electrochemically active surface area and excellent performance for the detection of NO with high stability. Based on DPV and amperometric techniques, extremely high sensitivities (21.9 μA μM-1 cm-2 and 14.3 μA μM-1 cm-2) with very low detection limits of 17.0 nM and 1.43 nM, respectively, have been achieved. Moreover, the developed nanoporous Au microelectrode provides a new approach to monitor NO release from different cells, revealing that a significant differential amount of NO can be generated from the normal and stressed rat cardiac cells as well as from the untreated and treated breast cancer cells, promising for the elucidation of cellular stress responses and medical diagnostics.

Windowless Observation of Evaporation-Induced Coarsening of Au-Pt Nanoparticles in Polymer Nanoreactors.

The interactions between nanoparticles and solvents play a critical role in the formation of complex, metastable nanostructures. However, direct observation of such interactions with high spatial and temporal resolution is challenging with conventional liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments. Here, a windowless system consisting of polymer nanoreactors deposited via scanning probe block copolymer lithography (SPBCL) on an amorphous carbon film is used to investigate the coarsening of ultrafine (1-3 nm) Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles as a function of solvent evaporation. In such reactors, homogeneous Au-Pt nanoparticles are synthesized from metal-ion precursors in situ under electron irradiation. The nonuniform evaporation of the thin polymer film not only concentrates the nanoparticles but also accelerates the coalescence kinetics at the receding polymer edges. Qualitative analysis of the particle forces influencing coalescence suggests that capillary dragging by the polymer edges plays a significant role in accelerating this process. Taken together, this work (1) provides fundamental insight into the role of solvents in the chemistry and coarsening behavior of nanoparticles during the synthesis of polyelemental nanostructures, (2) provides insight into how particles form via the SPBCL process, and (3) shows how SPBCL-generated domes, instead of liquid cells, can be used to study nanoparticle formation. More generally, it shows why conventional models of particle coarsening, which do not take into account solvent evaporation, cannot be used to describe what is occurring in thin film, liquid-based syntheses of nanostructures.

Amplitude-modulated acoustic waves by nonlinear optical signals in bimetallic Au-Pt nanoparticles and ethanol based nanofluids

Acoustic waves were propagated through bimetallic Gold and Platinum nanoparticles suspended in ethanol in order to analyze their modification in amplitude by the assistance of third-order nonlinear optical effects. Nanosecond pulses at 532 nm wavelength were able to modify the acoustic transmittance by shifting the resonance of the mechanical vibration modes of the sample contained in a quartz cuvette. The optical Kerr effect exhibited by the nanoparticles was identified to be responsible for third-order optical nonlinearities that caused important changes in density associated with the sample. The nanofluids were prepared by a sol-gel method and explored by a vectorial two-wave mixing experiment. The nanostructured nature of the samples was evaluated by standard UV–Vis spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements. Potential applications for developing optomechanic nanosystems sensitive to pressure driven by optical nonlinearities can be contemplated.

An electrochemical immunoassay for Escherichia coli O157:H7 using double functionalized Au@Pt/SiO2 nanocomposites and immune magnetic nanoparticles

A sensitive Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) with Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (Au@Pt) functionalized silica nanoparticle (SiO2 NPs) and Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) was designed for the quantitative detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7). The poly-(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSMA) as a negatively charged polyelectrolyte can be easily coated on surface of the amino group modified SiO2 NPs via electrostatic force. PSSMA is also a good stabilizer for water-soluble bimetallic nanostructures. The PSSMA is first time used as a “bridge” to connect the negative charge Au@Pt NPs to the SiO2 NPs, forming Au@Pt/SiO2 NPs. Antibody and invertase conjugated Au@Pt/SiO2 NPs (denoted as Ab/invertase-Au@Pt/SiO2 NPs) were used as signal labels. Monoclonal antibody against E. coli O157:H7 (Ab) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (denoted as Ab-Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs) were used to enrich and capture the E. coli O157:H7 in positive sample. The immunosensing platform also composed of a personal glucometer (PGM) using for signal readout. Based on this sandwich-type immunoassay, the invertase in the final formed sandwich immunocomplex catalyzed the hydrolysis of sucrose to produce a large amount of glucose for quantitative readout by the PGM. Under optimal conditions, a linear relationship between the glucose concentration and the logarithm of E. coli O157:H7 concentration was obtained in the concentration range from 3.5 × 102 to 3.5 × 108 CFU mL−1 with a detection limit of 1.83 × 102 CFU mL−1 (3σ). This method was used to detect E. coli O157:H7 in spiked milk samples, indicating its potential practical application. This protocol can be applied in various fields of study.

Exploring the Effect of Au/Pt Ratio on Glycerol Oxidation in Presence and Absence of a Base

Bimetallic AuPt nanoparticles with different Au:Pt ratios (molar ratio: 9-1, 8-2, 6-4, 2-8, 1-9) and the corresponding Au and Pt monometallic ones were prepared by sol immobilization and immobilized on commercial TiO2 (P25). The catalytic activity was evaluated in the liquid phase glycerol oxidation in presence and absence of a base (NaOH). It was found that the Au:Pt molar ratio and reaction conditions strongly influence the catalytic performance. In the presence of NaOH, Au-rich catalysts were more active than Pt-rich ones, with the highest activity observed for Au9Pt1/TiO2 (6575 h−1). In absence of a base, a higher content of Pt is needed to produce the most active catalyst (Au6Pt4/TiO2, 301 h−1). In terms of selectivity, in presence of NaOH, Au-rich catalysts showed a high selectivity to C3 products (63–72%) whereas Pt-rich catalysts promote the formation of formic and glycolic acids. The opposite trend was observed in absence of a base with Pt-rich catalysts showing higher selectivity to C3 products (83–88%).

Isomerisation of n-hexane over bifunctional Pt-heteropoly acid catalyst: Enhancing effect of gold

Isomerisation of n-hexane was studied in the presence of acid and bifunctional metal-acid catalysts based on Keggin-type heteropoly acids (HPA), in particular focusing on Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 (CsPW) and Pt/CsPW as the catalysts, using a fixed-bed microreactor under differential conditions (n-hexane conversion ≤ 10%) at 180–220 °C, ambient pressure and a ratio of n-hexane and H2 partial pressures of 0.06–0.24. The turnover rate of HPA-catalysed isomerisation was found to correlate with the acid strength of HPA (initial enthalpy of ammonia adsorption). Bifunctional Pt-HPA catalysts were more efficient than monofunctional HPA catalysts. In the isomerisation over Pt/CsPW bifunctional catalyst, n-hexane dehydrogenation step was found to equilibrate at a molar ratio of Pt and H+ surface sites Pts/H+ ≥ 0.8, corresponding to a Pt loading ≥6%. Bimetallic PtAu/CsPW catalyst showed higher activity in n-hexane isomerisation than Pt/CsPW, although the Au alone without Pt was inert. In the presence of Au, the turnover rate at Pt sites increased more than twofold. The effect of Au is attributed to PtAu alloying. Scanning transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of PtAu/CsPW indicated the presence of bimetallic PtAu nanoparticles with a wide range of Pt/Au atomic ratios.

Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles decorated on sulfonated nitrogen sulfur co-doped graphene for simultaneous determination of dopamine and uric acid

In this work, a novel nanohybrid (AuPtNPs/S-NS-GR) of well-defined Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (Au-PtNPs) decorated on sulfonated nitrogen sulfur co-doped graphene (S-NS-GR) was developed. Firstly, nitrogen sulfur co-doped graphene (NS-GR) was synthesized by one-step thermal annealing method. Secondly, phenyl SO3H- group was introduced onto the surface of NS-GR via diazotization reaction, which could provide more binding sites for the formation of metal nanoparticles. Finally, Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles were anchored on the surface of S-NS-GR by using electrochemical deposition. The prepared material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). In addition, the electrocatalytic activity towards dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) was systematically studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. Under optimum conditions, the linear ranges for the detection of DA and UA were 1.0×10−8 – 4.0×10−4 M and 1.0×10−6 – 1.0×10−3 M with the limits of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) of 0.006μM and 0.038μM, respectively. Furthermore, the modified electrode was applied to real sample analysis.

One-step electrodeposition of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles on MoS2 nanoflowers for hydrogen peroxide enzyme-free electrochemical sensor

The rationally designed sensor architecture is very important to improve the sensitivity and selectivity for H2O2 enzyme-free electrochemical sensor. In this work, a sensitive H2O2 biosensor was fabricated by electrochemical deposition of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) on molybdenum disulfide nanoflowers (MoS2 NFs). Au-Pt NPs was dispersed or stabilized by the effective support matrix of MoS2 nanosheets, which was effectively enhance the conductivity, catalytic performance and long-term stability. The experimental results show that MoS2-Au/Pt nanocomposites exhibit excellent catalytic activity for specific detection of H2O2, and electrochemical measurement results show that the enzyme-free electrochemical sensor has large linear range of 10μM to 19.07mM with high sensitivity of 142.68μAmM−1cm−2. This novel sensor produced satisfactory reproducibility and stability, and exhibited superior potential for the practical quantitative analysis of H2O2 in serum samples.

Acousto-Optic Logic Gate Controlled by Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Effects in Bimetallic Au-Pt Nanoparticles

Acousto-Optic Logic Gate Controlled by Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Effects in Bimetallic Au-Pt Nanoparticles

Inorganic frameworks based on bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow MnO2 structures

A novel microwave-assisted hydrothermal route has been demonstrated to allow the synthesis of hollow MnO2 particles with dandelion-like structure. The as-prepared particles show the ability to enclose PtAu bimetallic nanoparticles which good electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of glycerol and the reduction of oxygen in alkaline media, in addition to high stability, what we attribute to the MnO2 cage, which is responsible for the confinement of reaction intermediates impeding their diffusion to the bulk electrolyte. Considering the inherent properties of MnO2, such as low acute toxicity to living organisms, biocompatibility, stability in neutral and alkaline media and the ability to enclose other possible different materials, including functionalized nanoparticles, we suggest a broad field of potential application for these structures, such as drug delivery and bioimaging, catalysis, (bio)sensing, etc.

Insight into growth of Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles: an insitu XAS study.

Au-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles have been synthesized through a one-pot synthesis route from their respective chloride precursors using block copolymer as a stabilizer. Growth of the nanoparticles has been studied by simultaneous insitu measurement of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and UV-Vis spectroscopy at the energy-dispersive EXAFS beamline (BL-08) at Indus-2 SRS at RRCAT, Indore, India. Insitu XAS spectra, comprising both X-ray near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) parts, have been measured simultaneously at the Au and Pt L3-edges. While the XANES spectra of the precursors provide real-time information on the reduction process, the EXAFS spectra reveal the structure of the clusters formed in the intermediate stages of growth. This insight into the formation process throws light on how the difference in the reduction potential of the two precursors could be used to obtain the core-shell-type configuration of a bimetallic alloy in a one-pot synthesis method. The core-shell-type structure of the nanoparticles has also been confirmed by exsitu energy-dispersive spectroscopy line-scan and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements with insitu ion etching on fully formed nanoparticles.