Synthesis by self-assembly of iron-cobalt nanoalloys

In this paper we are proposing the synthesis of iron and cobalt nanoalloys via the co-decomposition of iron and cobalt carbonyl precursors in the presence of polystyrene as the surface stabilizing agent. In order to form iron-cobalt nanoalloys with no preferential aggregation of metal atoms resulting in phase segregation, the decomposition kinetics of the iron pentacarbonyl and dicobalt octacarbonyl precursors had to be firmly established. The kinetics of cobalt cluster formation has been thoroughly investigated, but data for iron pentacarbonyl decomposition is relatively scarce. To fully understand the formation of the iron nanoclusters, a kinetic study was performed by varying carbonyl concentrations and reaction media in order to establish reaction order and rate constants. Our results suggest this decomposition to be a higher order process (not first order as previously assumed), with a complicated intermediate mechanism, which has been postulated and experimentally verified. By using this kinetic data, we will be able to predict the necessary conditions for the creation of new in-situ iron-cobalt nanoalloys using carbonyl precursors.