Dec 3 2014
An article co-authored by Clarkson University Professor of Physics and Robert A. Plane Endowed Chair Vladimir Privman recently made the front page of a leading journal of the American Chemical Society.
The cover of American Chemical Society's Journal of Physical Chemistry C, in volume 118, issue 43, features research by Clarkson University Professor of Physics and Robert A. Plane Endowed Chair Vladimir Privman and Vyacheslav Gorshkov and Vasily Kuzmenko of the National Technical University of Ukraine
The article, "Modeling of Growth Morphology of Core-Shell Nanoparticles," was featured on the cover of American Chemical Society's Journal of Physical Chemistry C, in volume 118, issue 43, and appears on pages 24,959 to 24,966. The report is authored by Privman and Vyacheslav Gorshkov and Vasily Kuzmenko of the National Technical University of Ukraine.
Journal of Physical Chemistry C publishes studies on energy conversion and storage; energy and charge transport; surfaces, interfaces, porous materials and catalysts; plasmonics, optical materials and hard matter; physical processes and nanomaterials and nanostructures.
In the article, the kinetic Monte Carlo modeling approach, which uses repeated random samplings to obtain results, is shown to reproduce smooth-shell and cluster-structured shell growth morphologies identified in recent experiments on core-shell noble-metal nanoparticle synthesis, including the formation of smooth epitaxially grown shells of use in catalysis.
The researchers identify not only growth regimes that yield smooth shells, but also those that lead to the formation of shells made of small clusters. This developed modeling approach allows for them to qualitatively study the effects of temperature and supply the shell-metal atoms on the resulting shell morphology when grown on a presynthesized nanocrystal core.
Privman said the best material for catalysis is platinum, but platinum is expensive. This research explores theoretic modeling to develop a systematic approach to grow smooth shells on cores from materials that are cheaper and whose catalytic performance is more effective.
"There is always an issue of efficiency or cost, especially when you make very small particles for catalysis," he said.
Clarkson's collaboration with the National Technical University of Ukraine gives this work an international dimension, Privman said. With the article featured on the cover of the journal, both universities gain more exposure for their research.
"It gives us visibility at Clarkson University, not only domestically but also internationally," he said.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.