New perspective of a nano-metal preparation pathway based on the hexahydro-closo-hexaborate anion

Today, metal-based nanomaterials play an increasingly important role in the energy, environment, medical and health fields. In order to meet the needs of various fields, it is necessary to continuously develop advanced technologies for preparing metal-based materials. Inspired by previous research, the results of a proof-of-concept experiment show that the hexahydro-closo-hexaborate anion (closo-[B(6)H(7)](−)) in the borane cluster family has properties similar to NaBH(4). Closo-[B(6)H(7)](−) can not only convert common precious metal ions such as Au(3+), Pd(2+), Pt(4+) and Ag(+) to the corresponding zero-valence state, but also convert some non-precious metals such as Cu(2+) and Ni(2+) to the zero-valent or oxidation state. Closo-[B(6)H(7)](−) moderate reduction to cause rapid aggregation of metal-based materials is not easy compared with NaBH(4). Compared with closo-[B(1)2H(12)](2−), closo-[B(6)H(7)](−) achieves the conversion of Pt(4+) to Pt(0) under ambient conditions, and its reduction performance extends to non-precious metals. The excellent stability and easy modification characteristics determine the universality of the closo-[B(6)H(7)](−) reduction strategy for metal ions.