TY - JOUR AU - Schütte, K. AU - Meyer, H. AU - Gemel, Chr. AU - Barthel, Juri AU - Fischer, R. A. AU - Janiak, Chr. TI - Synthesis of Cu, Zn and Cu/Zn brass alloy nanoparticles from metal amidinate precursors in ionic liquids or propylene carbonate with relevance to methanol synthesis JO - Nanoscale VL - 6 IS - 6 SN - 2040-3364 CY - Cambridge PB - RSC Publ. M1 - FZJ-2014-01649 SP - 3116 - 3126 PY - 2014 AB - Microwave-induced decomposition of the transition metal amidinates {[Me(C(NiPr)2)]Cu}2 (1) and [Me(C(NiPr)2)]2Zn (2) in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIm][BF4]) or in propylene carbonate (PC) gives copper and zinc nanoparticles which are stable in the absence of capping ligands (surfactants) for more than six weeks. Co-decomposition of 1 and 2 yields the intermetallic nano-brass phases β-CuZn and γ-Cu3Zn depending on the chosen molar ratios of the precursors. Nanoparticles were characterized by high-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), dynamic light scattering and powder X-ray diffractometry. Microstructure characterizations were complemented by STEM with spatially resolved energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Synthesis in ILs yields significantly smaller nanoparticles than in PC. β-CuZn alloy nanoparticles are precursors to catalysts for methanol synthesis from the synthesis gas H2/CO/CO2 with a productivity of 10.7 mol(MeOH) (kg(Cu) h)−1. LB - PUB:(DE-HGF)16 UR - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000332604200016 DO - DOI:10.1039/C3NR05780A UR - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/151760 ER -