Main group nanoparticle synthesis using electrical explosion of wires

•Oxide-free main group nanoparticles made by EEW.•Al and Si element/carbide nanocomposites formed.•No carbide made for Ge, Sn and Mg nanoparticles.•Epoxide capping successful for only Al and Mg.

In this study a selection of different main group nanoparticles (NPs) were produced using electrical explosion of wires (EEW) with metal core diameters less than 40 nm. Different metals were investigated from the ss-block and pp-block of the Periodic Table: Mg, Ge and Sn gave metal NPs; Al and Si gave mixtures of metal NPs and metal-carbide NPs. This is the first report of Ge and Mg NPs produced by EEW in liquid media. As with previous observations in work with dd-block metals, the product distribution is driven by the thermodynamic stability of the NP products. Aluminum and silicon wires were exploded to produce core–shell NPs, consisting of a metal core surrounded by a metal carbide shell. We used polymerization initiation by electron-rich metallic nanoparticles (PIERMEN) as a capping technique for the reactive NPs using epoxides as monomers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed generally spherical particles with the metallic core embedded in a polymer matrix. Most NPs were small (<<50 nm), although there is a broad size distribution with some larger particles (∼∼100 nm). Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) was used to confirm the crystalline identity of the metallic NPs and the capping agents were characterized using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. No crystalline oxides were observed for any metals used. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)/thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to study the NP behaviors upon heating under air up to 800 ∘C and the product oxides were characterized by PXRD.

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