Size-controlled photochemical synthesis of niobium nanoparticles

• DOI: 10.1039/c3dt51167g
• Publication Date: 2013-08-27T09:00:22Z
• Authors: Dimitriy Malyshev; Francisco Boscá; Charles-Oneil L. ...; Geniece L. Hallet...; José Carlos Netto...; Emilio I. Alarcon; Juan C. Scaiano
• Keywords: Induced fusion; Light; Oxidation; XPS; Catalyst; Radicals; Growth; Photoacid generation; 01 natural sciences; Passivated gold nanoparticles; 0104 chemical sciences

The size of photochemically-prepared niobium nanoparticles (NbNP) can be controlled by varying the concentration of the photoinitiator in the reaction mixture. The particles, which may be metallic in nature, are readily oxidized upon air exposure to form stable niobium(v) oxide nanoparticles (NbONP) that act as strong Brønsted acids.