Structural and morphological evaluation of Ru–Pd bimetallic nanocrystals

• 1. Polyol reduction method generates well-controlled Ru–Pd alloy nanocrystals.
• Ru precursor types play a significant role in tuning particle morphology and structures.
• Pd to Ru precursor molar ratio controls final particle size and composition.
• Ru–Pd bimetallic nanocrystals display alloyed structures over full composition space.

Ru–Pd bimetallic nanocrystals are successfully synthesized via a facile polyol co-reduction method. The resulting nanocrystals show spheres, triangular nanoplates, decahedra, nanorods, and irregular shapes. A combination of PdII and RuIII precursors tends to yield Ru–Pd bimetallic nanocrystals of higher shape monodispersity than those from PdII and RuII precursors. The mole ratio between Ru and Pd components in the precursor solution also plays a key role in determining the size/shape distribution of the nanocrystals, with higher Pd/Ru ratios generating products of more uniform size. Elemental analyses and electron microscopy studies suggest that the obtained nanocrystals have alloyed structures over the full composition space and that they form through either monomer addition or coalescence mechanisms.

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