Strong changes and renewals in the group: We wish farewell to Marzena, Daniel and Edouard, and we welcome our new members, Natalia, Preeti and Sushil!
The group evolves!
Contributions to the special issue of Chemistry of Materials dedicated to Prof. Clément Sanchez
We are honored to provide two contributions to the special virtual issue that Chemistry of Materials is launching in honor of Professor Clément Sanchez, who has been, and still is, so influential to our work:
Galvanic Replacement and Etching of MAX-Related Phases in Molten Salts toward MXenes: An In Situ Study, E. Defoy, M. Baron, A. Séné, A. Ghoridi, D. Thiaudière, S. Célérier, P. Chartier, F. Brette, V. Mauchamp, D. Portehault*, Chemistry of Materials, 35, 19, 8112–8121 (2023).
This is the firt report of combined in situ XRD and in situ XAS to probe reaction mechanisms in molten salts. This is also our first forey into galvanic reactions in molten salts, and into the chemistry of MAX phases (layered carbides and nitrides) within molten salts. Nice collaboration with SOLEIL synchrotron and IC2MP from Poitiers.
This work is a joint contribution to the special issue between José M. González-Calbet at UC Madrid and David. It deals with heterostructures derived from chimie douce, in water, to adjust metal-support interactions by using a new crystal structure of tungsten oxide as oxde support. Nice work of Isabel, in collaboration with LRS lab from Sorbonne Université.
Metal–Support Interactions in Pt-WO3 Heterostructures: Role of WO3 Polymorphism, I. Gómez-Recio, C. Thomas, C. Méthivier, M. L. Ruiz-González, J. M. González-Calbet*, D. Portehault*, Chemistry of Materials, 35, 19, 7931–7942 (2023).
Two important milestones published in Angewandte Chemie and JACS
Last months have seen the achievements of two important works in the group, both related to the design of nano-objects with complex crystal structure and/or internal nanostructure:
The first one is the discovery of a new zinc and silicon compound that exhibits a new crystal structure, polar, which is of interest for photoelectrocatalytic water splitting. To solve the crystal structure we had to deploy a wide range of techniques, especially 3D electron diffraction. A nice collaboration with P. Boullay at CRISMAT, and with many others, including UCMadrid and other teams of the LCMCP and of Sorbonne Université.
Molten Salts-Driven Discovery of a Polar Mixed-Anion 3D framework at the nanoscale: Zn4Si2O7Cl2, Charge Transport and Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting
R. Kumar, Y. Song, A. Ghoridi, P. Boullay, G. Rousse, C. Gervais, C. Coelho Diogo, H. Kabbour, C. Sassoye, P. Beaunier, V. Castaing, B. Viana, M. L. Ruiz Gonzalez, J. Gonzalez Calbet, C. Laberty-Robert, D. Portehault*, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 135, e202303487 (2023)
The second milestone is the setup of a method to achieve core-shell nanoparticles made of intermetallic compounds, this case silicides, bearing strong covalency. To do so, we have developed an approach to control atomic diffusion into nanoparticles dispersed within molten salts. We have then shown that the core-shell structure impacts deeply electrocatalytic and magnetic properties. Beautiful work from Yang and Isabel, but also many others of the group and of collaborators from UCMadrid, SOLEIL synchrotron and Sorbonne Université.
Heterostructured Cobalt Silicide Nanocrystals: Synthesis in Molten Salts, Ferromagnetism, and Electrocatalysis, Y. Song, I. Gómez-Recio, A. Ghoridi, F. Igoa Saldaña, D. Janisch, C. Sassoye, V. Dupuis, D. Hrabovsky, M. L. Ruiz-González, J. M. González-Calbet, S. Casale, A. Zitolo, B. Lassalle-Kaiser, C. Laberty-Robert, D. Portehault*, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 145, 19207 (2023)
Mechanisms of oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction electrocatalysis on perovskite oxides: paper in ACS Catalysis
We have designed mutlicationic perovskite nano-objects and have shown that the mechanisms of water oxidation and of oxygen reduction depend on the cationic composition, making it possible to switch to adjust the involvement of lattice oxygen anions in the catalysis. Nice work specially from Madeleine and Isabel, in collaboration with SOLEIL synchrotron, IPCMS (Strasbourg) and UCMadrid.
Tuning of Oxygen Electrocatalysis in Perovskite Oxide Nanoparticles by the Cationic Composition
M. Han, I. Gómez-Recio, D. Gutiérrez Martín, N. Ortiz Peña, M. L. Ruiz-González, M. Selmane, J. M. González-Calbet, O. Ersen, A. Zitolo, B. Lassalle-Kaiser*, D. Portehault*, C. Laberty-Robert*, ACS Catalysis, 13, 8, 5733–5743 (2023)
Two new doctors from the group!
Time has flown since last post! We were too busy with many things. First, Edouard and Daniel successfully and brilliantly defended their theses in September-October! Congrats to them. It was a pleasure to work with them and we wish them success in their future carriers!
Looking for new postdoc members!
We have two postdoc positions to fill. Please, visit the join us page!
Great week at ISBB2022! Congrats to Edouard!
Some people of the group, Fernando, Amandine, Daniel and Edouard attended the International Symposium on Boron, Borides and related materials at Sorbonne Université. Great scientific discussions and congrats to Edouard who won the Award of the PhD student talk!
Review on geo-inspired materials synthesis
State-of-the-art synthesis pathways to inorganic materials and nanomaterials are presented in the light of their relationship with geosciences, showing how geological phenomena can inspire innovative synthesis methods and materials.
Geoinspired syntheses of materials and nanomaterials, D. portehault*, I. Gómez-Recio, M. A. Baron, V. Musumeci, C. Aymonier, V. Rouchon, Y. Le Godec, Chemical Society Reviews, 51, 4828 (2022)
Two papers on crystallization mechanisms
We have joined the efforts of Prof. Sylvie Begin-Colin and Prof. Ovidiu Ersen at IPCMS Strasbourg to shed more light on the processes at play during colloidal synthesis of iron oxide nanocrystals. In situ transmission electron microscopy reveals that molecular precursors self-assemble into vesicles, in which nanocrystals nucleate.
In situ liquid transmission electron microscopy reveals self-assembly-driven nucleation in radiolytic synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles in organic media, N. Ortiz Peña, D. Ihiawakrim, S. Creţu, G. Cotin, C. Kiefer, S. Begin-Colin, C. Sanchez, D. Portehault, O. Ersen, Nanoscale, 14, 10950 (2022)
A Confinement‐Driven Nucleation Mechanism of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Obtained via Thermal Decomposition in Organic Media, G. Cotin, B. Heinrich, F. Perton, C. Kiefer, G. Francius, D. Mertz, B. Freis, B. Pichon, J.‐M. Strub, S. Cianférani, N. Ortiz Peña, D. Ihiawakrim, D. Portehault, O. Ersen, A. Khammari, M. Picher, F. Banhart, C. Sanchez, S. Begin‐Colin, Small, 18, 2200414 (2022)
Highlight from ILL
Our work where we used powder neutron diffraction to study Mn(V) oxide apatites with Universidad Complutense de Madrid has been highlighted by ILL!
The highlight is here
The original work: Hydroxyapatites as Versatile Inorganic Hosts of Unusual Pentavalent Manganese Cations, A. Varela, I. Gómez-Recio, L. Serrador, M. Hernando, E. Matesanz, A. Torres-Pardo, M. T. Fernández-Díaz, J. L. Martínez, F. Gonell, G. Rousse, C. Sanchez, C. Laberty-Robert, D. Portehault, J. M. González-Calbet, M. Parras, Chemistry of Materials, 32, 10584 (2020)