Ultrafine Ni2P Nanoparticle-Decorated r-GO: A Novel Liquid-Phase Approach and Dibenzothiophene Hydro-desulfurization

Crystal and electronic facet analysis of ultrafine Ni2P particles by solid-state NMR nanocrystallography

Structural and morphological control of crystalline nanoparticles is crucial in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and the development of “reaction specific” catalysts. To achieve this, colloidal chemistry methods are combined with ab initio calculations in order to define the reaction parameters, which drive chemical reactions to the desired crystal nucleation and growth path. Key in this procedure is the experimental verification of the predicted crystal facets and their corresponding electronic structure, which in case of nanostructured materials becomes extremely difficult. Here, by employing ³¹P solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance aided by advanced density functional theory calculations to obtain and assign the Knight shifts, we succeed in determining the crystal and electronic structure of the terminating surfaces of ultrafine Ni₂P nanoparticles at atomic scale resolution. Our work highlights the potential of ssNMR nanocrystallography as a unique tool in the emerging field of facet-engineered nanocatalysts.

Structural and morphological control of crystalline nanoparticles is crucial in heterogeneous catalysis. Applying DFT-assisted solid-state NMR spectroscopy, we determine the surface crystal and electronic structure of Ni₂P nanoparticles, unveiling NMR nanocrystallography as an emerging tool in facet-engineered nanocatalysts.