We use a green sputtering technique to deposit a Pt/Cu alloy target on liquid polyethylene glycol (PEG) to obtain well-dispersed and stable Pt29Cu71 alloy nanoparticles (NPs). The effects of sputtering current, rotation speed of the stirrer, sputtering time, sputtering period, and temperature of PEG on the particle size are studied systematically. Our key results demonstrate that the aggregation and growth of Pt/Cu alloy NPs occurred at the surface as well as inside the liquid polymer after the particles landed on the liquid surface. According to particle size analysis, a low sputtering current, high rotation speed for the stirrer, short sputtering period, and short sputtering time are found to be favorable for producing small-sized single crystalline alloy NPs. On the other hand, varying the temperature of the liquid PEG does not have any significant impact on the particle size. Thus, our findings shed light on controlling NP growth using the newly developed green sputtering deposition technique.

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The young history of sputtering onto a liquid features great achievements in the green production of various metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and nanoclusters (NCs). Studies on how the sputtering parameters affect the properties of NPs and NCs have elucidated their formation mechanism and marked a crucial role of liquid matrix in the nucleation and growth of particles, controlling their various properties. Current research has been devoted to making alloy bi-and trimetallic NPs with a high level of control over the NP structure, composition, and size via well-designed target systems, sputtering steps, and liquid matrix materials. In this minireview, we discuss the recent advances in the use of various types of targets to prepare different bi-and trimetallic NPs. In single target sputtering, systems with alternative configurations of metals, alloy targets, monometallic targets in sequence, and a combination of sputtering and chemical reactions have been developed. On the other hand, a double head system was introduced to widen the range of controllable sputtering parameters yielding more versatility in particle composition and fine structure. The synergistic and tuneable properties exhibited by the multi-metallic components in small NPs and NCs for their use in catalysis and optical applications are discussed.

Herein, we report a novel positively charged photoluminescent Au-Ag bimetallic nanocluster synthesized using 11-mercaptoundecyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide as the capping ligand by means of "green" double-target sputtering method on a biocompatible polymer matrix. The photoluminescent Au-Ag bimetallic cluster showed emission tunability from blue to near infrared (NIR) regions with respect to change in the composition.

A novel low cost sintering process of copper fine particles to a copper conductive layer was demonstrated at as low as 100 degrees C without reductive gas flow. Sintering of a mixture of copper particles and copper-based metal-organic-decomposition (MOD) ink gave a copper film with high packing density and low resistivity (9 x 10(-6) Omega m). This novel process may open a new strategy in the field of printed electronics