On the Hopping Efficiency of Nanoparticles in the Electron Transfer across Self‐Assembled Monolayers

Redox reactions of solvated molecular species at gold‐electrode surfaces modified by electrochemically inactive self‐assembled molecular monolayers (SAMs) are found to be activated by introducing Au nanoparticles (NPs) covalently bound to the SAM to form a reactive Au–alkanedithiol–NP–molecule hybrid entity. The NP appears to relay long‐range electron transfer (ET) so that the rate of the redox reaction may be as efficient as directly on a bare Au electrode, even though the ET distance is increased by several nanometers. In this study, we have employed a fast redox reaction of surface‐confined 6‐(ferrocenyl) hexanethiol molecules and NPs of Au, Pt and Pd to address the dependence of the rate of ET through the hybrid on the particular NP metal. Cyclic voltammograms show an increasing difference in the peak‐to‐peak separation for NPs in the order Au<Pt<Pd, especially when the length of the alkanedithiol increases from octanedithiol to decanedithiol. The corresponding apparent rate constants, k_app, for decanedithiol are 1170, 360 and 14 s^?1 for NPs of Au, Pt and Pd, respectively, indicating that the efficiency of NP mediation of the ET clearly depends on the nature of the NP. Based on a preliminary analysis rooted in interfacial electrochemical ET theory, combined with a simplified two‐step view of the NP coupling to the electrode and the molecule, this observation is referred to the density of electronic states of the NPs, reflected in a broadening of the molecular electron/NP bridge group levels and energy‐gap differences between the Fermi levels of the different metals.     

Electrochemical Designing of Au/Pt Core Shell Nanoparticles as Nanostructured Catalyst with Tunable Activity for Oxygen Reduction

Au/Pt core shell nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared via a layer‐by‐layer growth of Pt layers on Au NPs using underpotential deposition (UPD) redox replacement technique. A single UPD Cu monolayer replacement with Pt(II) yielded a uniform Pt film on Au NPs, and the shell thickness can be tuned by controlling the number of UPD redox replacement cycles. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in air‐saturated 0.1 M H₂SO₄ was used to investigate the electrocatalytic behavior of the as‐prepared core shell NPs. Cyclic voltammograms of ORR show that the peak potentials shift positively from 0.32 V to 0.48 V with the number of Pt layers increasing from one to five, suggesting the electrocatalytic activity increases with increasing the thickness of Pt shell. The increase in electrocatalytic activity may originate mostly from the large decrease of electronic influence of Au cores on surface Pt atoms. Rotating ring‐disk electrode voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry demonstrate that ORR is mainly a four‐electron reduction on the as‐prepared modified electrode with 5 Pt layers and first charge transfer is the rate‐determining step.     

Platinum Nanoparticles Modified with Perfluorinated Alkylamines as a Model Cathode Catalyst for Fuel Cells

Platinum nanoparticles (NPs) modified with undecafluorohexylamine (UFHA) and octylamine were synthesized as a novel model cathode catalyst for fuel cells. The modified Pt NPs were well characterized by FTIR, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. These NPs supported on carbon black were applied as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. The UFHA‐modified Pt NP catalyst showed high electrocatalytic activity and durability compared to a commercial catalyst. Besides suppression of undesired oxide formation on the Pt surface, the affinity between the perfluorinated alkyl chains of UFHA and Nafion^® improved the catalyst activity by creating a desirable proton conduction path. Additionally, UFHA modification improved durability by suppressing Pt dissolution and carbon corrosion because of restricted water accessibility. The β ‐oxide formation, which is responsible for Pt dissolution, was significantly attenuated by surface modification.     

Relating the Composition of PtxRu100−x/C Nanoparticles to Their Structural Aspects and Electrocatalytic Activities in the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

A controlled composition‐based method—that is, the microwave‐assisted ethylene glycol (MEG) method—was successfully developed to prepare bimetallic Pt_xRu_100?x/C nanoparticles (NPs) with different alloy compositions. This study highlights the impact of the variation in alloy composition of Pt_xRu_100?x/C NPs on their alloying extent (structure) and subsequently their catalytic activity towards the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The alloying extent of these Pt_xRu_100?x/C NPs has a strong influence on their Pt d‐band vacancy and Pt electroactive surface area (Pt ECSA); this relationship was systematically evaluated by using X‐ray absorption (XAS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and electrochemical analyses. The MOR activity depends on two effects that act in cooperation, namely, the number of active Pt sites and their activity. Here the number of active Pt sites is associated with the Pt ECSA value, whereas the Pt‐site activity is associated with the alloying extent and Pt d‐band vacancy (electronic) effects. Among the Pt_xRu_100?x/C NPs with various Pt:Ru atomic ratios (x=25, 50, and 75), the Pt₇₅Ru₂₅/C NPs were shown to be superior in MOR activity on account of their favorable alloying extent, Pt d‐band vacancy, and Pt ECSA. This short study brings new insight into probing the synergistic effect on the surface reactivity of the Pt_xRu_100?x/C NPs, and possibly other bimetallic Pt‐based alloy NPs.     

γ-Ray induced catalytic properties of the silica nanoparticles dispersed in the aerated aqueous solution

Silica nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed in an aerated aqueous solution containing Ag⁺ were irradiated to a dose of 10 kGy using ⁶⁰Co γ-rays. The typical surface plasmon band of Ag NPs was observed around 400 nm, indicating that even in the presence of dissolved oxygen the reduction of Ag⁺ occurred by silica NPs. Transmission electron microscopy images indicated that Ag NPs formed on the surface of the silica NPs. The subtraction spectra showed broad absorption around 500 nm with the absorbance depending on the dose. The electrons generated by charge separation from silica NPs with a size of about 12 nm reduce Ag⁺ to Ag⁰ and form (Ag⁰) _n species on the silica NPs, and the type of (Ag⁰) _n species formed depended on the silica NP, and Ag⁺ contents, and the dose. In the co-presence of organic molecules on the silica NP such as rhodamine, the absorbance of the surface plasmon band of both Ag NPs and rhodamine decreased, indicating the electrons to participate in the reductive decomposition of rhodamine molecules adsorbed on the silica NP. Furthermore, in the case when the silica NPs contained fluorescein molecules, the fluorescein molecules were also decomposed, indicating that the fluorescein molecules adsorbed on the inner surface of the silica NPs. The addition of I₂ as an oxidative reagent prevented the decomposition of the fluorescein molecules, indicating that electrons are the main species emitted from irradiated silica NPs.     

Challenges in semiconductor single-entity photoelectrochemistry

It is challenging to study the single semiconductor nanocrystal electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry. The photocatalytic processes, such as the oxidation of methanol and iodide, that result from the electron–hole pair formed within a nanoparticle (NP) allow the detection of discrete current transient events assigned to single entities. Photocatalytic current amplification allows detection of collisions between the semiconductor NPs and the ultramicroelectrode that produce current transient. Staircase responses and blips in the i vs. t response indicate that irreversible and reversible NP/electrode interactions result depending on the experimental conditions. Dye sensitization increases the photocurrent magnitude of ZnO and TiO₂ with respect to bare TiO₂ NPs. The microelectrodes used are Pt, TiO₂/Pt, TiO₂/Au, and F-doped SnO₂.     

Colorimetric Sensing of Adenosine Based on Aptamer Binding Inducing Gold Nanoparticle Aggregation

A simple and rapid colorimetric approach for the determination of adenosine has been developed via target inducing aptamer structure switching, thus leading to Au colloidal solution aggregation. In the absence of the analytes, the aptamer/gold nanoparticle (Au NP) solution remained well dispersed under a given high ionic strength condition in that the random‐coil aptamer was readily wrapped on the surface of the Au NPs, which resulted in the enhancement of the repulsive force between the nanoparticles due to the high negative charge density of DNA molecules. While in the presence of adenosine, target‐aptamer complexes were formed and the conformation of the aptamer was changed to a folded structure which disfavored its adsorption on the Au NP surface, thus leading to the reduction of the negative charge density on each Au NP and then the reduced degree of electrostatic repulsion between Au nanoparticles. As a result, the aggregation of the Au colloidal solution occurred. The changes of the absorption spectrum could be easily monitored by a UV‐Vis spectrophotometer. A linear correlation exists between the ratio of the absorbance of the system at 522 to 700 nm (A_{522 nm}/A_{700 nm}) and the concentration of adenosine between 100 nmol·L^?1 and 10 µmol·L^?1, with a detection limit of 51.5 nmol·L^?1.     

Ion and pH Sensing with Colloidal Nanoparticles: Influence of Surface Charge on Sensing and Colloidal Properties

Ion sensors based on colloidal nanoparticles (NPs), either as actively ion‐sensing NPs or as nanoscale carrier systems for organic ion‐sensing fluorescent chelators typically require a charged surface in order to be colloidally stable. We demonstrate that this surface charge significantly impacts the ion binding and affects the read‐out. Sensor read‐out should be thus not determined by the bulk ion concentration, but by the local ion concentration in the nano‐environment of the NP surface. We present a conclusive model corroborated by experimental data that reproduces the strong distance‐dependence of the effect. The experimental data are based on the capability of tuning the distance of a pH‐sensitive fluorophore to the surface of NPs in the nanometer (nm) range. This in turn allows for modification of the effective acid dissociation constant value (its logarithmic form, pK_a) of analyte‐sensitive fluorophores by tuning their distance to the underlying colloidal NPs.     

Tailoring the surface structure of iron compounds to optimize the selectivity of 3-nitrostyrene hydrogenation reaction over Pt catalyst

Selective hydrogenation of substituted nitroarenes is an important reaction to obtain amines.Supported metal catalysts are wildly used in this reaction because the surface structure of supports can tune the properties of the supported metal nanoparticles （NPs） and promote the selectivity to amines.Herein,Pt NPs were immobilized on Fe OOH,Fe₃O₄andα-Fe₂O₃nanorods to synthesize a series of iron compounds supported Pt catalysts by liquid phase reduction me...     

Electrocatalysis of Water Oxidation by H2O‐Capped Iridium‐Oxide Nanoparticles Electrodeposited on Spectroscopic Graphite

Electrocatalysis of water oxidation by 1.54 nm IrO_x nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized on spectroscopic graphite electrodes was demonstrated to proceed with a higher efficiency than on all other, hitherto reported, electrode supports. IrO_x NPs were electrodeposited on the graphite surface, and their electrocatalytic activity for water oxidation was correlated with the surface concentrations of different redox states of IrO_x as a function of the deposition time and potential. Under optimal conditions, the overpotential of the reaction was reduced to 0.21 V and the electrocatalytic current density was 43 mA cm^?2 at 1 V versus Ag/AgCl (3 M KCl) and pH 7. These results beneficially compete with previously reported electrocatalytic oxidations of water by IrO_x NPs electrodeposited onto glassy carbon and indium tin oxide electrodes and provide the basis for the further development of efficient IrO_x NP‐based electrocatalysts immobilized on high‐surface‐area carbon electrode materials.     

One‐Dimensional Carbon Nanotube/SnO2/Noble Metal Nanoparticle Hybrid Nanostructure: Synthesis,Characterization, and Electrochemical Sensing

Herein we report a facile and efficient method for self‐assembling noble‐metal nanoparticles (NPs) to the surface of SnO₂‐coated carbon nanotubes (CNT@SnO₂) to construct CNT@SnO₂/noble metal NP hybrids. By using SnCl₄ as the precursor of the SnO₂ shell on the surface of CNTs, the hydrolysis speed of SnCl₄ was slowed down in ethanol containing a trace amount of urea and water. The coaxial nanostructure of CNT@SnO₂ was confirmed by using X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the coating layer of SnO₂ was homogeneous with the mean thickness of 8 nm. The CNT@SnO₂/noble‐metal NP hybrids were obtained by mixing noble‐metal NPs with as‐prepared CNT@SnO₂ coaxial nanocables by means of a self‐assembly strategy. With the amino group terminated, the CNT@SnO₂ coaxial nanocable can readily adsorb the as‐prepared noble‐metal NPs (Au, Ag, Au? Pt, and Au? Pd NPs). The presence of an amino group at the surface of SnO₂ was proved by use of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, H₂O₂ sensing by amperometric methods could serve as detection models for investigating the electrocatalytic ability of as‐prepared hybrid materials. It was found that wide linear ranges and low detection limits were obtained by using the enzyme‐free CNT@SnO₂@Au? Pt modified electrode, which indicated the potential utilizations of the hybrid based on CNT@SnO₂ for electrochemical sensing.     

Tuning the High‐Temperature Wetting Behavior of Metals toward Ultrafine Nanoparticles

The interaction between metal nanoparticles (NPs) and their substrate plays a critical role in determining the particle morphology, distribution, and properties. The pronounced impact of a thin oxide coating on the dispersion of metal NPs on a carbon substrate is presented. Al₂O₃‐supported Pt NPs are compared to the direct synthesis of Pt NPs on bare carbon surfaces. Pt NPs with an average size of about 2 nm and a size distribution ranging between 0.5 nm and 4.0 nm are synthesized on the Al₂O₃ coated carbon nanofiber, a significant improvement compared to those directly synthesized on a bare carbon surface. First‐principles modeling verifies the stronger adsorption of Pt clusters on Al₂O₃ than on carbon, which attributes the formation of ultrafine Pt NPs. This strategy paves the way towards the rational design of NPs with enhanced dispersion and controlled particle size, which are promising in energy storage and electrocatalysis.     

Coating Platinum Nanoparticles with Methyl Radicals: Effects on Properties and Catalytic Implications

It was recently reported that the reaction of methyl radicals with Pt⁰ nanoparticles (NPs), prepared by the reduction of Pt(SO₄)₂ with NaBH₄, is fast and yields as the major product stable (Pt⁰‐NPs)?(CH₃)_n and as side products, in low yields, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and some oligomers. We decided to study the effect of this coating on the properties of the Pt⁰‐NPs. The results show that the coating can cover up to 75 % of the surface Pt⁰ atoms. The rate constant of the reaction, k( ^. CH₃+Pt⁰‐NPs), decreases with the increase in the surface coverage, leading to competing reaction paths in the solution, which gradually become dominant, affecting the composition of the products. The methyl coating also affects the zeta potential, the UV spectra, and the electrocatalytic reduction of water in the presence of the NPs. Thus, the results suggest that binding alkyl radicals to Pt⁰ surfaces might poison the NPs catalytic activity. When the Pt⁰‐NPs are prepared by the reduction of a different precursor salt, PtCl₆^2?, nearly no C₂H₄ and oligomers are formed and the methyl coating covers a larger percentage of the surface Pt⁰ atoms. The difference is attributed to the morphology of the Pt⁰‐NPs: those prepared from Pt(SO₄)₂ are twinned nanocrystals, whereas those prepared from PtCl₆^2? consist mostly of single crystals. Thus, the results indicate that the side products, or most of them at least, are formed on the twinned Pt⁰ nanocrystal edges created between (111) facets. In addition, the results show that Pt⁰‐NPs react very differently compared with other noble metals, for example, Au⁰ and Ag⁰; this difference is attributed in part to the difference in the bond strength, (M⁰‐NP)?CH₃, and should be considered in heterogeneous catalytic processes involving alkyl radicals as intermediates.     

Effect of interacting nanoparticles on the ordered morphology of block copolymer/nanoparticle mixtures

We investigated the effect of hard additives, that is, magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) and metal NPs, on the ordered morphology of block copolymers by varying the NP concentration. To characterize the structural changes of a block copolymer associated with different NP loadings, small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy were performed. Monodisperse maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) NPs (7 nm in diameter) and silver (Ag) NPs (6 nm in diameter) with surfaces modified with oleic acids were synthesized, and a cylinder-forming poly(styrene-block-isoprene) diblock copolymer was used as a structure-directing matrix for the NPs. As the NP concentration increased, domains of NP aggregates were observed for both magnetic and metal NPs. In the case of mixtures of cylinder-forming poly(styrene-block-isoprene) and Ag NPs with weak particle–particle interactions, random aggregates of Ag NPs were observed, and the ordered morphology of the block copolymer lost its long-range order with an increase in the NP concentration. However, regular, latticelike aggregates obtained with γ-Fe₂O₃ NPs, because of the strong interparticle interactions, induced an intriguing morphological transformation from hexagonal cylinders to body-centered-cubic spheres via undulated cylinders, whereas the neat block copolymer did not show such a morphological transition over a wide range of temperatures. The interplay between magnetic NPs and the block copolymer was also tested with magnetic NPs of different sizes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 3571–3579, 2006     

Polyelectrolyte brushes as efficient platform for synthesis of Cu and Pt bimetallic nanocrystals onto TiO2 nanowires

A Cu–Pt nanoparticle catalyst supported on TiO₂ nanowires (NWs) was prepared through regenerative counterion exchange–reduction using polyelectrolyte brush as template. Cationic polydimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate brushes were grafted onto TiO₂ NWs. Cu–Pt nanocrystals were produced by anionic counterions CuCl₄^2? and PtCl₆^2? bound with the polymer brush through in situ reduction with NaBH₄ of high density and low polydispersity. The as‐prepared TiO₂ NWs/polymer brush/Cu–Pt was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR spectrometry), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and UV–Vis adsorption spectrometry analyses. Results showed that the highly dispersed Cu and Pt nanoparticles were present on the surface of the TiO₂ NWs/polymer brush. The resultant TiO₂ NWs/polymer brush/Cu–Pt exhibited extremely high catalytic activity and reduced p‐nitrophenol at room temperature. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

预制铂纳米颗粒对质子交换膜燃料电池用铂纳米线阴极的结构影响

铂纳米线（Pt NWs）由于其独特的结构特点,比商业Pt/C具有更高的氧还原反应（ORR）比活性。在本工作中,我们将预先制备好的铂纳米颗粒（Pt NPs）引入到碳基体中,用于诱导生长Pt NWs,获得了均匀分布Pt NWs的阴极。通过改变Pt NP载量（0~0.015 mg·cm^-2）和Pt NP来源（不同Pt含量的Pt/C）研究了所制备阴极的结构和性能。用扫描电镜对阴极表面进行了表征,并用透射电镜和X射线衍射分析了Pt NW的形貌和晶体结构。在单电池中分别进行了极化曲线和循环伏安曲线测试。当Pt NP来源为40% Pt/C且其载量为0.005 mg·cm^-2时,制备的Pt NW阴极具有最佳的单电池性能和最大的电化学表面积（ECSA）。最后,提出了预制Pt NP影响Pt NWs分布的可能机制。     

Peroxidase-like activity of mesoporous silica encapsulated Pt nanoparticle and its application in colorimetric immunoassay

Nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes have received great attention in recent year due to their potential application in immunoassay techniques. However, such potential is usually limited by poor dispersion stability or low catalytic activity induced by the capping agent essentially required in the synthesis. In an attempt to address these challenges, here, we studied the novel Pt nanoparticles (NPs) based peroxidase-like mimic by encapsulating Pt NP in mesoporous silica (Pt@mSiO₂ NPs). Compared with other nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes, the obtained Pt@mSiO₂ NPs not only exhibit high peroxidase-like activity but also have good dispersion stability in buffer saline solution when grafted with spacer PEG. Results show that when the thickness of silica shell is about 9 nm the resulting Pt@mSiO₂ NPs exhibit the catalytic activity similar to that of Pt NPs, which is approximately 26 times higher than that of Fe₃O₄ NPs (in terms of K_cat for H₂O₂). Due to the protection of silica shell, the subsequent surface modification with antibody has little effect on their catalytic activity. The analytical performance of this system in detecting hCG shows that after 5 min incubation the limit of detection can reach 10 ng mL⁻¹ and dynamic linear working range is 5–200 ng mL⁻¹. Our findings pave the way for design and development of novel artificial enzyme labeling.     

Synthesis of hollow and nanoporous gold/platinum alloy nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation

In this work, hollow Au/Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with porous surfaces were synthesized in a two-step procedure. In the first step, tri-component Ag/Au/Pt alloy NPs were synthesized through the galvanic replacement reaction between Ag NPs and aqueous solutions containing a mixture of HAuCl₄ and H₂PtCl₄. In the second step, the Ag component was selectively dealloyed with nitric acid (HNO₃), resulting in hollow di-component Au/Pt alloy NPs with a porous surface morphology. The atomic ratio of Au to Pt in the NPs was easily tunable by controlling the molar ratio of the precursor solution (HAuCl₄ and H₂PtCl₆). Hollow, porous Au/Pt alloy NPs showed enhanced catalytic activity toward formic acid electrooxidation compared to the analogous pure Pt NPs. This improved activity can be attributable to the suppression of CO poisoning via the “ensemble” effect.     

Pt/oxide nanocatalysts synthesized via the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis process: engineering metal–oxide interfaces for enhanced catalytic activity

We show that Pt nanoparticles synthesized on oxide nanocatalysts exhibit catalytic activity enhancement depending on the type of the oxide support. To synthesize the Pt/oxide nanocatalysts, we employed a versatile synthesis method using Pt nanoparticles (NPs) supported on various metal oxides (i.e., SiO₂, CeO₂, Al₂O₃, and FeAl₂O₄) utilizing ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. Catalytic CO oxidation was carried out on these catalysts, and it was found that the catalytic activity of the Pt NPs varied depending on the supporting oxide. While Pt/CeO₂ exhibited the highest metal dispersion and active surface area, Pt/FeAl₂O₄ exhibited the lowest active surface area. Among the Pt/oxide nanocatalysts, Pt NPs supported on CeO₂ showed the highest catalytic activity. We ascribe the enhancement in turnover frequency of the Pt/CeO₂ nanocatalysts to strong metal–support interactions due to charge transport between the metal catalysts and the oxide support. Such Pt/oxide nanocatalysts synthesized via spray pyrolysis offer potential possibilities for large-scale synthesis of tailored catalytic systems for technologically relevant applications.