Triangular and Hexagonal Nanoplates

A biologically driven approach to the formation of palladium crystals was demonstrated by Eaton and coworkers, who discovered that selected modified RNA sequences could effectively mediate the growth of hexagonal palladium 

An in vitro selection technique was apphed to evolve a collection of catalytically active family of RNA sequences, with 5-(4-pyridyhnethyl)-uridine 5 triphosphate ( UTP) being used to provide additional metal-RNA coordination sites (beyond the nitrogen-containing heterocycles available in the native RNA structure). The RNA is then incubated with the zerovalent metal complex, tris-(dibenzylideneace-tone) dipalladium(O) ((Pd2dba)3) in an aqueous medium, for 2h at ambient temperature. 

Figu re 9.11 Summary of reaction conditions required for the formation of decahedron-, octahedron- and icosahedron palladium nanoparticles. Reproduced with permission from Ref [63] 2007 Wiley Interscience. 

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Yin, Y., Li, Z.-Y. and Xia, Y. (2005) Kinetically controlled synthesis of triangular and hexagonal nanoplates of palladium and their SPR/SERS properties. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127, 17118. 

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