Well-defined mono(eta(3)-allyl)nickel complex MONi(eta(3)-C3H5) (M = Si or Al) grafted onto silica or alumina: a molecularly dispersed nickel precursor for syntheses of supported small size nickel nanoparticles

Preparing evenly-dispersed small size nickel nanoparticles over inert oxides remains a challenge today. In this context, a versatile method to prepare supported small size nickel nanoparticles (ca. 1-3 nm) with narrow size distribution via a surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) route is described. The grafted mono(eta(3)-allyl) nickel complexes RMONi(eta(3)-C3H5) (M = Si or Al) as precursors are synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy and paramagnetic solid-state NMR.