Solvent influence on the magnetization and phase of iron-nickel nanoparticles generated by laser ablation in liquids

Synthesizing iron-nickel nanoparticles while controlling the properties such as the synthesized phases, particle size, surface chemistry, and oxidation level is challenging and limits their possible applications. In the article “Solvent Influence on the Magnetization and Phase of Fe-Ni Alloy Nanoparticles Generated by Laser Ablation in Liquids” published in Nanomaterials, LESGO researchers use the pulsed laser ablation in liquid, a method that uses a pulsed laser beam to eject nanoparticles out of a solid metal.

“The liquid that we used in the pulsed-laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) method is crucial to the property of the generated nanoparticles”, comments PhD researcher at the University of Wuppertal, Inna Khairani. “Here we investigated the influence of water impurity in acetone on the oxidation level of the iron-nickel nanoparticles, and we found that if we compare these nanoparticles when in acetone with a reduced amount of water impurity, show a lower oxidation level compared to when they are in acetone without prior treatment”. The results confirm that the size, structure, phase, and oxidation of the iron-nickel nanoparticles, produced by pulsed laser ablation in liquids, can be modified by changing the solvent or just reducing the water impurities in the organic solvent.

The results confirm that the size, structure, phase, and oxidation of the iron-nickel nanoparticles, produced by pulsed laser ablation in liquids, can be modified by changing the solvent or just reducing the water impurities in the organic solvent.

In an attempt to further characterize the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles for the development of the electrolyzer, researchers Benjin Jin and Tanja Kallio also demonstrated that the iron-nickel nanoparticles in acetone with reduced water impurity exhibit a better catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The OER overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm² of these nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes is 360 mV. The team at Aalto University and the team at the University of Wuppertal are closely collaborating in the frame of LESGO’s WP3, aiming to find the best nanoparticles for the catalyst for OER.