Seed-mediated co-reduction in a large lattice mismatch system: synthesis of Pd–Cu nanostructures

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are of interest for applications in catalysis, electronics, chemical sensing, and more. Their utility is dictated by their composition and physical parameters such as particle size, particle shape, and overall architecture (e.g., hollow vs. solid). Interestingly, the addition of a second metal to create bimetallic NPs adds multifunctionality, with new emergent properties common. However, synthesizing structurally defined bimetallic NPs remains a great challenge. One synthetic pathway to architecturally controlled bimetallic NPs is seed-mediated co-reduction (SMCR) in which two metal precursors are simultaneously co-reduced to deposit metal onto shape-controlled metal seeds, which direct the overgrowth. Previously demonstrated in a Au–Pd system, here SMCR is applied to a system with a larger lattice mismatch between the depositing metals: Pd and Cu (7% mismatch for Pd–Cu vs. 4% for Au–Pd). Through manipulation of precursor reduction kinetics, the morphology and bimetallic distribution of the resultant NPs can be tuned to achieve eight-branched Pd–Cu heterostructures with Cu localized at the tips of the Pd nanocubes as well as branched Pd–Cu alloyed nanostructures and polyhedra. Significantly, the symmetry of the seeds can be transferred to the final nanostructures. This study expands our understanding of SMCR as a route to structurally defined bimetallic nanostructures and the synthesis of multicomponent nanomaterials more generally.