ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on various metal-organic precursors/complexes (MOP)-based synthetic routes that have emerged in the literature to prepare nanocrystals of noble and seminoble transition metals, Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, Cu, Co, Ni, and Bi, and their binary compositions. To reveal the morphology, structural, and optical properties of various metal nano- and microcrystallites, a number of state-of-the-art tools such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques have been used. Producing nanocrystallites from a MOP involves reduction of the metal ions, followed by controlled growth for which the following methods have been developed: chemical reduction of metal ions in a reaction medium, chemical reduction of metal ions at the liquid–liquid interface and thermal decomposition of MOPs. The chapter describes the direct heating of solid precursor in air or under various atmospheres, metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) and inkjet printing.
