Bimetallic (NiFe) and Trimetallic (NiFeCr) Nanoalloys from Metal Oxides Using a Microwave Hydrogen Plasma

Sachin Kumar; Mohammad Kazemi; Zichang Xiong; Thomas Cameron; Julian Held; Uwe Kortshagen

doi:10.1002/adem.202502402

Bimetallic (NiFe) and Trimetallic (NiFeCr) Nanoalloys from Metal Oxides Using a Microwave Hydrogen Plasma

Sachin Kumar
, Mohammad Kazemi
, Zichang Xiong
, Thomas Cameron
, Julian Held
, Uwe Kortshagen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Metallic nanoalloys (NAs) have garnered significant interest due to their superior properties compared to monometallic nanoparticles (NPs), resulting from their tunable composition, synergistic effects between constituent metals, and multifunctional behavior. Conventional synthesis techniques often require expensive precursors, hazardous solvents, and a multistep process. Therefore, the direct conversion of inexpensive, naturally occurring metal oxides into high-value NAs using a green, gas-based reducing agent such as hydrogen holds significant potential. In this work, the use of an atmospheric-pressure hydrogen plasma powered by microwave energy is demonstrated to produce bimetallic and trimetallic NPs from their corresponding oxides within residence times of tens of milliseconds. Fe-Ni NPs are produced from a mixture of Fe₃O₄ and NiO particles having a size of around ≈30 μm. The composition of these particles is shown to be tunable by varying the composition of the feed material. Furthermore, trimetallic Fe-Ni-Cr NPs are synthesized using Cr₂O₃ as the third precursor, demonstrating the process's flexibility in incorporating different metal oxides.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	e202502402
Journal	Advanced Engineering Materials
Volume	28
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202502402
State	Published - Mar 4 2026

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© 2026 The Author(s). Advanced Engineering Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

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University of Minnesota Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-2011401)
Bates, F. S. (PI), Calabrese, M. A. (PI), Ellison, C. J. (PI), Ferry, V. E. (PI), Flannigan, D. J. (PI), Frisbie, D. (PI), Frontiera, R. R. (PI), Greven, M. (PI), Haynes, C. L. (PI), Head-Marsden, K. M. (PI), Ilic, O. (PI), Jalan, B. (PI), Lamb, J. R. (PI), Leighton, C. (PI), Lodge, T. (PI), Low, T. (PI), Mahanthappa, M. (PI), Mkhoyan, A. (PI), Reineke, T. M. (PI), Roman, A. J. (PI), Sarupria, S. (PI), Stoerzinger, K. A. (PI), Walker, L. M. (PI), Wang, X. (PI), Xiong, B. (PI), Holmes, R. J. (Key Personnel), Oh, S.-H. (Key Personnel), Martiniani, S. (Prior Principal Investigator) & Wang, K. (Prior Principal Investigator)
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
9/1/20 → 8/31/27
Project: Research project

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title = "Bimetallic (NiFe) and Trimetallic (NiFeCr) Nanoalloys from Metal Oxides Using a Microwave Hydrogen Plasma",

abstract = "Metallic nanoalloys (NAs) have garnered significant interest due to their superior properties compared to monometallic nanoparticles (NPs), resulting from their tunable composition, synergistic effects between constituent metals, and multifunctional behavior. Conventional synthesis techniques often require expensive precursors, hazardous solvents, and a multistep process. Therefore, the direct conversion of inexpensive, naturally occurring metal oxides into high-value NAs using a green, gas-based reducing agent such as hydrogen holds significant potential. In this work, the use of an atmospheric-pressure hydrogen plasma powered by microwave energy is demonstrated to produce bimetallic and trimetallic NPs from their corresponding oxides within residence times of tens of milliseconds. Fe-Ni NPs are produced from a mixture of Fe3O4 and NiO particles having a size of around ≈30 μm. The composition of these particles is shown to be tunable by varying the composition of the feed material. Furthermore, trimetallic Fe-Ni-Cr NPs are synthesized using Cr2O3 as the third precursor, demonstrating the process's flexibility in incorporating different metal oxides.",

author = "Sachin Kumar and Mohammad Kazemi and Zichang Xiong and Thomas Cameron and Julian Held and Uwe Kortshagen",

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AU - Kumar, Sachin

AU - Kazemi, Mohammad

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AU - Cameron, Thomas

AU - Held, Julian

AU - Kortshagen, Uwe

PY - 2026/3/4

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N2 - Metallic nanoalloys (NAs) have garnered significant interest due to their superior properties compared to monometallic nanoparticles (NPs), resulting from their tunable composition, synergistic effects between constituent metals, and multifunctional behavior. Conventional synthesis techniques often require expensive precursors, hazardous solvents, and a multistep process. Therefore, the direct conversion of inexpensive, naturally occurring metal oxides into high-value NAs using a green, gas-based reducing agent such as hydrogen holds significant potential. In this work, the use of an atmospheric-pressure hydrogen plasma powered by microwave energy is demonstrated to produce bimetallic and trimetallic NPs from their corresponding oxides within residence times of tens of milliseconds. Fe-Ni NPs are produced from a mixture of Fe3O4 and NiO particles having a size of around ≈30 μm. The composition of these particles is shown to be tunable by varying the composition of the feed material. Furthermore, trimetallic Fe-Ni-Cr NPs are synthesized using Cr2O3 as the third precursor, demonstrating the process's flexibility in incorporating different metal oxides.

AB - Metallic nanoalloys (NAs) have garnered significant interest due to their superior properties compared to monometallic nanoparticles (NPs), resulting from their tunable composition, synergistic effects between constituent metals, and multifunctional behavior. Conventional synthesis techniques often require expensive precursors, hazardous solvents, and a multistep process. Therefore, the direct conversion of inexpensive, naturally occurring metal oxides into high-value NAs using a green, gas-based reducing agent such as hydrogen holds significant potential. In this work, the use of an atmospheric-pressure hydrogen plasma powered by microwave energy is demonstrated to produce bimetallic and trimetallic NPs from their corresponding oxides within residence times of tens of milliseconds. Fe-Ni NPs are produced from a mixture of Fe3O4 and NiO particles having a size of around ≈30 μm. The composition of these particles is shown to be tunable by varying the composition of the feed material. Furthermore, trimetallic Fe-Ni-Cr NPs are synthesized using Cr2O3 as the third precursor, demonstrating the process's flexibility in incorporating different metal oxides.

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ER -

Bimetallic (NiFe) and Trimetallic (NiFeCr) Nanoalloys from Metal Oxides Using a Microwave Hydrogen Plasma

Abstract

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University of Minnesota Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-2011401)

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