Synthesis and structural characterization of branched palladium nanostructures

A study was conducted to demonstrate a simple technique for solution phase synthesis of palladium nanostructures at room temperature followed by their characterization. The particles were formed in a pressure reaction vessel that allowed control over the reaction pressure. It was showed that it was possible to shift the growth conditions from a thermodynamic to a kinetic regime, induce anisotropy, and control the final morphology of the particles by varying the nature of the organic surfactant. Two experimental investigations were also conducted to compare the effects of surfactant in the system. The first investigation used pure oleylamine as surfactant, while the second reaction system contained 1:1 mixture of oleylamine and oleic acid. Oleic acid was selected as the second surfactant, as use of carboxylic-acid functionalities were shown to induce structural changes in nickel colloids.