Powder Technology, Vol.338, 905-914, 2018
Characterization of bimetallic nanoparticles by fractal analysis
The bimetallic nanoparticles, used as catalysts due to their activity and selectivity, were prepared using one of the most versatile and convenient synthesis route: the alkaline polyol method. Mono and bimetallic nanoparticles, with both core-shell and alloy structure were obtained. The nanoparticles were characterized by TEM and XRD. The fractal dimension of each micrograph was computed using the "box-counting" method and the "information" method. Computing the box-counting fractal dimension at different grey-level thresholds one can obtain a specific curve. The paper will discuss the relation between the fractal dimension versus the grey-level threshold curve, the nanoparticles morphology and the preparation variables. The novelty of the work is that the shape of the fractal dimension versus the grey-level threshold curve is an indicator if the nanoparticles have alloy or core shell structure. Also, the paper will provide a method to compute both fractal dimensions: of the nanoparticles' cores and of the nanoparticles' shells. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.