Our research focus is on designing and creating new kinds of nanomaterials that incorporate a wide variety of elements that impact major challenges in sustainability and in energy. A primary focus of this is understanding how to mix elements with distinct properties across the periodic table. Most syntheses for alloy metal nanoparticles require high temperatures, organic solvents, and we remove oxygen.
Our synthesis works in mild conditions, in water, and on the bench top with mild heating. Our future research will focus on exploring the generalizability of this strategy to incorporate multiple elements into alloy nanoparticles while also controlling their size and their shape. These are crucial for unlocking new properties.