Laser ablation synthesis of new gold arsenides using nano-gold and arsenic as precursors. Laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry and spectrophotometry

• Published in: Rapid communications in mass spectrometry 2014-03, Vol.28 (6), p.577-586
• Main Authors: Prokeš, Lubomír, Peña-Méndez, Eladia María, Conde, José Elias, Panyala, Nagender Reddy, Alberti, Milan, Havel, Josef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arsenides; Clusters; Gold; Laser ablation; Mass spectrometry; Nanostructure; Stoichiometry; Synthesis
• ISSN: 0951-4198; 1097-0231
• DOI: 10.1002/rcm.6815

RATIONALE Currently, a limited number of gold arsenides have been described, some of which have important industrial applications, Laser ablation synthesis (LAS) has been employed in an attempt to generate some novel gold arsenide compounds. METHODS LAS of gold arsenides was performed using nano‐gold (NG) and arsenic as precursors. The clusters formed during laser desorption ionisation (LDI) were analysed by mass spectrometry using a quadrupole ion trap and reflectron time‐of‐flight analyser to determine the stoichiometry. UV/VIS spectrophotometry was used to follow possible hydrothermal synthesis of gold arsenides. RESULTS LAS of NG yielded singly charged gold clusters Aum+(−) (m = 1–35). LAS of bulk arsenic and nano‐arsenic produced Asn+(−) clusters with n = 2–10 and n = 2–20, respectively. Laser ablation of Au‐As nano‐composites or NG‐As mixtures generated Aum+(−) (m = 1–12), Asn+(−) (n = 3–4), and several series of AumAsn+(−) (m = 1–60, n = 1–18) clusters. Over 450 species of gold arsenide clusters and 212 mixed chlorinated AumAsnClx clusters were detected and their stoichiometry determined. CONCLUSIONS Many new gold arsenides were synthesised via LAS for the first time with Au‐As composites and NG‐As mixtures of different Au:As ratios using mass spectrometry to determine cluster stoichiometry. The resolved stoichiometry of AumAsn clusters determined in this study could accelerate the development of advanced Au‐As nano‐materials. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.