CAREER: CAS: Chemical Pathways for the Synthesis of Dilute Metal Alloy and Multimetallic Complex Solid Solution Nanocrystals

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With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Dr. Xingchen Ye of Indiana University Bloomington will develop new ways of making nanoscale metal alloys. In addition to potentially exhibiting unique chemical and physical properties, these nanoparticles contain earth-abundant, non-precious elements making them less expensive and more sustainable than the commonly used noble metal nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have the potential to enable new technologies in clean energy, photonics, pharmaceutical industry applications and more. The broader impacts of this project include educational and outreach initiatives that aim to increase interest in science among K-12 students and to improve undergraduate students’ readiness for graduate study in STEM fields. Specifically, Dr. Ye will develop a classroom teaching module called “Colloids-Microscopy-Data” to expose high school students to modern aspects of colloidal chemistry and microscopy imaging. In addition, an 8-week summer program will be created to engage undergraduate students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, in materials chemistry research. The Ye research group aims to establish chemical pathways for the synthesis of dilute metal alloy and complex multimetallic nanocrystals with well-defined shape and composition. In Aim 1, a library of dilute metal alloy nanocrystals will be synthesized and characterized, with the emphasis on non-precious yet chemically more challenging base metal systems. The catalytic and plasmonic properties of these nanocrystals will be evaluated to understand structure-property relationships. In Aim 2, a novel catalytic growth mechanism will be studied, which could provide access to diverse metal nanocrystals not yet available using existing synthetic methods. Finally, in Aim 3, the mechanisms and pathways for the formation of multimetallic nanocrystals consisting of five or more elements will be examined. An important goal of this research is to gain a better fundamental understanding of the factors that control the structures and compositions of these classes of nanoparticles.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.