Composition and Electronic and Atomic Structure of Palladium Nanoparticles at Different Metal Concentrations in a Polyethylene Matrix

The composition and the electronic and atomic structure of palladium nanoparticles stabilized in high-pressure polyethylene (with 10 and 20 wt % palladium) have been studied using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. It has been found that these nanoparticles have metallic (Pd) and oxide (Pd 2 O 3 ) components, and their mean size and coordination numbers in the Pd sphere decrease from 7 to 6 nm and from 7 to 5.7, respectively, together with the metal concentration.