A composition and size controllable approach for Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles

A capillary micro-reaction was established for the synthesis of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with a flexible and controllable composition and grain size by tuning the synthesis temperature, the residence time, or the mole ratio of Au(3+):Ag(+). By extending the residence time from 5 to 900 s, enhancing the temperature from 120°C to 160°C, or decreasing the mole ratio of Au(3+):Ag(+) from 1:1 to 1:20, the composition of samples was changed continuously from Au-rich to Ag-rich. The particles became large with the increase of the residence time; however, synthesis temperatures showed less effect on the particle size change. The particle size of the Au-Ag alloy NPs with various composition could be kept by adjusting the mole ratio of Au(3+):Ag(+). TEM observation displayed that the as-obtained NPs were sphere-like with the smallest average size of 4.0 nm, which is half of those obtained by the traditional flask method.