Selective Vapor-Phase Doping of Pt Nanoparticles into Phase-Controlled Nanoalloys

Bimetallic nanoparticles (BMNPs) are frontrunners in various fields including heterogeneous catalysis, medicinal applications, and medical imaging. Tailoring their properties requires adequate control over structure composition, which still presents a non-trivial endeavor. We present flexible strategy to deposit phase-controlled BMNPs by vapor-phase “titration” of secondary metal pre-deposited monometallic nanoparticle (NP) host. The is exemplified for archetypal Pt–Sn but transferrable other alloy noble non-noble metals. When exposing Pt NPs on SiO2 support discrete TDMASn (tetrakis(dimethylamino)tin) vapor pulses from 150 300 °C, selectively decomposes NPs. This leads saturated infiltration Sn into through reactive solid-state diffusion, resulting the formation with phase/composition via substrate temperature. An additional H2 pulse after each removes surface ligands excess as SnH4, preserving small sizes approach provides single-step, selective “vapor-phase conversion” PtxSny great potential catalysis. Hereto, proof concept provided converting wet impregnated high area supports.