Preparation and characterization of metal-chitosan nanocomposites

Various metal-chitosan nanocomposites were synthesized, including silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), and palladium (Pd) in aqueous solutions. Metal nanoparticles were formed by reduction of corresponding metal salts with NaBH4 in the presence of chitosan. And chitosan molecules adsorbing onto the surface of as-prepared metal nanoparticles formed the corresponding metal-chitosan nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and UV-vis spectra of the nanocomposites revealed the presence of metal nanoparticles. Comparison of all the resulting particles size, it shows that silver nanoparticles are much larger than others (Au, Pt and Pd). In addition, the difference in particles size leads to develop different morphologies in the films cast from prepared metal-chitosan nanocomposites. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) images show a batonet-like structure for Ag-chitosan nanocomposites film, while for the films cast from other metal (Au, Pt, and Pd)-chitosan nanocomposites, some branched-like structures with a few differences among them were observed under POM observation.     

Electrochemistry of conductive polymers 39. Contacts between conducting polymers and noble metal nanoparticles studied by current-sensing atomic force microscopy

Electrical properties of contacts formed between conducting polymers and noble metal nanoparticles have been examined using current-sensing atomic force microscopy (CS-AFM). Contacts formed between electrochemically prepared pi-conjugated polymer films such as polypyrrole (PPy), poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MeT), as well as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and noble metal nanoparticles including platinum (Pt), gold (Au), and silver (Ag) have been examined. The Pt nanoparticles were electrochemically deposited on a pre-coated PPy film surface by reducing a platinum precursor (PtCl62-) at a constant potential. Both current and scanning electron microscopic images of the film showed the presence of Pt islands. The Au and Ag nanoparticles were dispersed on the P3MeT and PEDOT film surfaces simply by dipping the polymer films into colloid solutions containing Au or Ag particles for specified periods (5 to approximately 10 min). The deposition of Au or Ag particles resulted from either their physical adsorption or chemical bonding between particles and the polymer surface depending on the polymer. When compared with PPy, P3MeT and PEDOT showed a stronger binding to Au or Ag nanoparticles when dipped in their colloidal solutions for the same period. This indicates that Au and Ag particles are predominantly linked with the sulfur atoms via chemical bonding. Of the two, PEDOT was more conductive at the sites where the particles are connected to the polymer. It appears that PEDOT has better aligned sulfur atoms on the surface and is strongly bonded to Au and Ag nanoparticles due to their strong affinity to gold and silver. The current-voltage curves obtained at the metal islands demonstrate that the contacts between these metal islands and polymers are ohmic.     

Electrodeposited noble metal particles in polyelectrolyte multilayer matrix as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction studied using SECM

Taking the advantage of the stability and penetrability of polyelectrolyte films formed by layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition, noble metal particles of Pd and Pt were fabricated in a preformed polyeletrolyte multilayer film by galvanic deposition. The metal deposition occurred as metal particles and they were tested for their properties as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize the morphology of the particle films. The noble metal particles were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) with respect to oxygen reduction. The results show that the electrocatalytic properties of the Pd particle film can be adjusted by the electrodeposition time. The hydrogen peroxide formed as an intermediate during electroreduction of dioxygen was conveniently measured in the SECM using the substrate-generation/tip-collection mode. The relevance of the main reduction pathways could be extracted from fitting the current transients to an analytical model.     

In Situ Fabrication of Noble Metal Nanoparticles Modified Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Related Electrocatalysis

Using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as templates, noble metal (Au, Ag, Pt or Pd) nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated in situ by electrochemistry with a diameter of 40–60 nm. Further, catalytic behaviors of these composite materials were investigated. Experiments showed that such carbon nanotubes decorated with Pd NPs modified glassy carbon electrodes exhibited higher electrocatalytic ability to some molecules such as evolution of hydrogen, reduction of oxygen and oxidation of ascorbic acid. Atomic force microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the film formation and their properties.     

石墨烯衍生物负载的纳米催化剂用于氧还原反应

综述了用于燃料电池中氧还原反应(ORR)的石墨烯衍生物负载的各种纳米催化剂的最新进展。介绍了用于表征石墨烯基电催化剂的常规电化学技术以及石墨烯基电催化剂最新的研究进展。负载于还原氧化石墨烯(RGO)上的Pt催化剂的电化学活性和稳定性均得到显著提高。其它贵金属催化剂,如Pd, Au和Ag也表现出较高的催化活性。当以RGO或少层石墨烯为载体时, Pd催化剂的稳定性提高。讨论了氧化石墨烯负载Au或Ag催化剂的合成方法。另外,以N4螯合络合物形式存在的非贵过渡金属可降低氧的电化学性能。 Fe和Co是可替代的廉价ORR催化剂。在大多数情况下,这些催化剂稳定性和耐受性的问题均可得到解决,但其整体性能还很难超越Pt/C催化剂。     

Fabrication of monometallic (Co,Pd, Pt,Au) and bimetallic (Pt/Au,Au/Pt) thin films with hierarchical architectures as electrocatalysts

Co thin films with novel hierarchical structures were controllably fabricated by simple electrochemical deposition in the absence of hard and soft templates, which were used as sacrificial templates to further prepare noble metal (Pd, Pt, Au) hierarchical micro/nanostructures via metal exchange reactions. SEM characterization demonstrated that the resulting noble metal thin films displayed hierarchical architectures. The as-prepared noble metal thin films could be directly used as the anode catalysts for the electro-oxidation of formic acid. Moreover, bimetallic catalysts (Pt/Au, Au/Pt) fabricated based on the monometallic Au, Pt micro/nanostructures exhibited the higher catalytic activity compared to the previous monometallic catalysts.     

单晶硅表面贵金属晶粒层的制备

将预处理过的单晶硅p-Si(100)浸入含贵金属盐的HF溶液, 制备了Ag, Au, Pd和Pt的晶粒层. 用原子力显微镜(AFM)、开路电位(OCP)、循环伏安(CV)和交流阻抗(A. C. Impedance)方法对晶粒层性能进行了考察. 形貌显示, 在浸镀20 s后, Ag和Pd晶粒层基本上覆盖了硅基底, Ag颗粒致密, Pd颗粒之间仍有空隙且晶粒较Ag大. Au晶粒层部分覆盖了基底, 而Pt只有极少数的晶粒. 60 s后, Ag, Pd和Au晶粒层都完全覆盖了基底, 而Pt晶粒仍然较少, 但晶粒有所长大. 循环伏安显示, Pd的溶出峰电流比Ag, Au, Pt高1个数量级. 交流阻抗测量表明, Pd晶粒层阻抗最小. 结果表明, Ag, Pd和Au都能用浸入沉积的方法在单晶硅上短时间内制备出晶粒层, 而Pt不能, 选用哪种晶粒层, 需要根据后续工序和实际需要而定.     

Electrochemical oxide film formation at noble metals as a surface-chemical process

The mechanisms of electrochemical oxide film formation at noble metals are described and exemplified by the cases of Pt and Au, especially in the light of recent experimentation by means of cyclic voltammetry, ellipsometry and vacuum surface-science studies using LEED and AES.

Unlike the mechanisms of base-metal oxidation, e.g., in corrosion processes, anodic oxide film formation at noble metals proceeds by surface chemical processes involving, initially, sub-monolayer, through monolayer, formation of 2-dimensional OH/O arrays. During such 2-d processes, place-exchange between electrosorbed OH or O species on the surface, and Pt or Au atoms within the surface lattice, takes place leading to a quasi-2-d compact film which then grows ultimately to a multilayer hydrous oxide film, probably by continuing injection of ions of the substrate metal and their migration through the growing film under the influence of the field.

The initial, sub-monolayer stage of electrosorption of OH involves competitive chemisorption by anions, e.g. HSO₄⁻, ClO₄⁻, Cl⁻, which inhibits onset of the first stage of surface oxidation. These processes are demonstrable in experiments on single-crystal surfaces. The combination of such anion effects with place-exchange during the extension of the film, leads to a general mechanism of noble metal oxide film formation.

The formation of the oxide films can be examined in detail by recording the distinguishable stages in the film's electrochemical reduction in linear-sweep voltammetry which is sensitive down to OH/O fractional coverages as low as 0.5% and over time-scales down to 50μs in experiments on time-evolution and transformation of the states of the oxide films.

By means of LEED, AES and STM or AFM experiments, the reconstructions and perturbations (e.g. generation of stepped terraces) which oxide films cause on singlecrystal surfaces can be followed.     

多孔硅上贵金属的浸入沉积

将多孔硅浸入含贵金属盐的HF溶液20 s, 制备了Ag, Au, Pd和Pt的沉积层. AFM形貌显示, 这4种贵金属都能在多孔硅上直接沉积, 但Pt的沉积量比其他3种少. SEM图及能谱(Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, EDS)分析显示, 沉积层优先生长在孔边上, 孔边上的沉积量约是孔底的4.6倍. 电化学方法分析显示, Pd和Pt, Ag和Au的沉积层分别具有类似的开路电位和交流阻抗特性, 其中Pd层的溶出电流比其他3种大1个数量级, 而阻抗比其他小1个数量级, 说明Pd层与硅基底的结合程度好, 结合界面导电性好.     

Adsorption of transition metal atoms on the NiO(100) surface and on NiO/Ag(100) thin films

We have studied the adsorption of Au, Pd, and Pt atoms on the NiO(100) surface and on NiO/Ag(100) thin films using plane wave DFT+U calculations. The scope of this work is to compare the adsorption properties of NiO, a reducible transition metal oxide, with those of MgO, a simple binary oxide with the same crystal structure and similar lattice parameter. At the same time, we are interested in the adsorption characteristics of NiO ultra-thin films (three atomic layers) deposited on Ag(100) single crystals. Also in this case the scope is to compare NiO/Ag(100) with the corresponding MgO/Ag(100) films which show unusual properties for the case of Au adsorption. The results show that the transition metal atoms bind in a similar way on NiO(100) and NiO/Ag(100) films, with Pt, Pd, and Au forming bonds of decreasing strength in this order. No charging effects occur for Au adsorbed on NiO/Ag(100) films, at variance with MgO/Ag(100). The reasons are analyzed in terms of work function of the metal/oxide interface. Possible ways to modify this property by growing alternate layers of MgO and NiO are discussed.     

Synthesis of Au, Au/Ag, Au/Pt and Au/Pd nanoparticles using the microwave-polyol method

Gold, Au/Ag, Au/Pt and Au/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles with varying mol fractions were synthesized in ethylene glycol and glycerol, using the microwave technique in the presence of a stabilizer poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). It was found that bimetallic colloids of Au/Ag, Au/Pd and Au/Pt form an alloy either on co-reduction of respective metal ions or on mixing individual sols.     

Bismuth colloids and films from non-aqueous solvents

Bismuth colloids and metal-metal oxide films have been prepared by the method Chemical Liquid Deposition (CLD). The metal is evaporated to yield atoms which are solvated at liquid nitrogen temperature, and upon warming stable liquid colloids, are formed with particle size ranging between 50–350 Å. Zeta potentials were calculated according to the convention of Hunter and the Hückel equation, for most of these negatively charged particles. Upon solvent removal, colloidal particles coalesce to form films, which contain some residual solvent. The synthesis of colloids and films from Bi with acetone, 2-butanone, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, ethanol, 2-propanol, DMF, THF, DMSO, benzene and toluene is reported. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) allows us to determine particle size. FTIR, Thermogravimetric Analyses (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) have aided in film characterization. These studies indicate that solvents are incorporated into the films. Resistivity studies showed that they behave as semiconductors rather than pure metals. TGA studies reveal that loss of weight occurs within 244–453°C. The films are very stable with 5–30% weight loss at 550°C.     

Surface-enhanced raman scattering (SERS) of adsorbed molecules on smooth surfaces of metals and a metal oxide

Surface-enhanced Raman spectra were observed for pyridine adsorbed on Ni, Pd and Pt (vacuum evaporated films) as well as on Ag and Au. The υ_o dependence varied remarkably from metal to metal. SERS of pyridine adsorbed on nickel oxide (cleaved single crystal) was also observed. Langmuir films of stearic acid on Ag showed no feature of SERS.     

A general thermal process for the one-step preparation of well-stable noble metal nanoparticles

Heating sodium 3-thiophenemalonic acid-noble metal salt aqueous solution at 100°C, without the extra step of introducing other reducing agents and protective agents, results in the formation of well-stable noble metal that includes Au, Ag, Pt, or Pd nanoparticles. As-formed colloidal solutions were characterized by UV-vis absorption spectra and transmission electron microscopy and the nanoparticle formation process was also traced by time-dependent UV-vis absorption spectra. The text was submitted in English by the author.     

A facile synthesis and characterization of Ag, Au and Pt nanoparticles using a natural hydrocolloid gum kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium)

An environmentally benign method for the synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles has been reported using aqueous solution of gum kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium). Both the synthesis, as well as stabilization of colloidal Ag, Au and Pt nanoparticles has been accomplished in an aqueous medium containing gum kondagogu. The colloidal suspensions so obtained were found to be highly stable for prolonged period, without undergoing any oxidation. SEM-EDXA, UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR and TEM techniques were used to characterize the Ag, Au and Pt nanoparticles. FTIR analysis indicates that -OH groups present in the gum matrix were responsible for the reduction of metal cations into nanoparticles. UV-vis studies showed a distinct surface plasmon resonance at 412 and 525 nm due to the formation of Au and Ag nanoparticles, respectively, within the gum network. XRD studies indicated that the nanoparticles were crystalline in nature with face centered cubic geometry. The noble metal nanoparticles prepared in the present study appears to be homogeneous with the particle size ranging between 2 and 10 nm, as evidenced by TEM analysis. The Ag and Au nanoparticles formed were in the average size range of 5.5±2.5 nm and 7.8±2.3 nm; while Pt nanoparticles were in the size range of 2.4±0.7 nm, which were considerably smaller than Ag and Au nanoparticles. The present approach exemplifies a totally green synthesis using the plant derived natural product (gum kondagogu) for the production of noble metal nanoparticles and the process can also be extended to the synthesis of other metal oxide nanoparticles.     

Preparation of TiO2 coating films containing Pd fine particles by sol-gel method

TiO₂ coating films of 0.3–0.4 m in thickness that contain fine Pd particles have been prepared by sol-gel method using Ti(OC₃H ₇ ⁱ )₄ and PdCl₂ as starting materials in an attempt to obtain optical materials that show surface plasma resonance in the visible range. A temperature higher than 900°C was required for formation of Pd metal particles when the heat-treatment was conducted in air. Heat-treatment of pre-heated amorphous films in air at 800°C resulted in precipitation of PdO particles, the size of which could be varied by changing the time of heat-treatment, and subsequent heat-treatment in H₂/Ar gas converted the PdO particles into Pd metal particles. Heat-treatment of pre-heated amorphous films in H₂/Ar gas also resulted in precipitation of Pd metal particles. The size of the Pd metal particles precipitated in the films was 6 to 90 nm, depending on the conditions of heat-treatment. The resultant TiO₂ films containing Pd metal particles were brownish grey in color and showed optical absorption in the visible range over 400 nm, which is attributed to surface plasma resonance of Pd metal particles.     

细菌吸附还原贵金属离子特性及表征

提炼、富集贵金属是细菌固定金属的重要用途．部分细菌还可还原金属离子,如海藻、枯草杆菌等均有较强的吸附、还原AU3+等金属离子的能力[1~3]．本文研究了从生态环境中筛选的几种细菌及其吸附、还原Pd2+、Pt4+、Au3+、Ag+、Rh3+等贵金属离子的特性,以期了解细菌固定金属的作用机制,提高细菌的还原能力,并将所得结果用于回收贵金属和制备高分散度贵金属催化剂．1实验部分D01细菌从生态环境中筛选、培养,并按常规微生物法制备大量菌体．所用仪器为SCR20BC高速冷冻离心机,BairdPS－4电感耦合等离子原子发射光谱仪,740SXFTIR光…     

Tin colloids and metal-metal oxide films prepared by chemical liquid deposition. III

Colloids and thin metal-metal oxide films have been prepared by a method we call Chemical Liquid Deposition (CLD). The metal is evaporated to yield atoms which are solvated at liquid nitrogen temperature, and upon warming stable liquid colloidal solutions are formed. In the case of tin, the particle size of these colloids ranges between 200–500 Å. Zeta potentials were calculated by a Hückel approximation for most of these negatively charged particles. Upon solvent removal, colloidal particles coalesce to form films, which contain some residual solvent. The synthesis of colloids and films from Sn with acetone, 2-butanone, THF, ethanol, 2-propanol, DMF and DMSO is reported. FTIR, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Thermogravimetric Analyses (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) film characterization has been carried out. These studies indicate that solvents are incorporated into the films. The resistivity studies showed that they more behave as semiconductors than pure metals. TGA studies reveal that loss of weight occurs within 200–500°C. The films are very stable with 5–10% weight loss at 550°C. SEM reveals their surface morphology. Mössbauer gives information about oxidation states of some tin films.     

A strategy for synthesis of polymer-protective bimetallic colloids

A strategy for the synthesis of polymer-protective bimetallic sols is proposed which has the advantage of the strong protective effect of the polymer agent on one of the composites to stabilize the bimetallic colloidal particles. This strategy is certified to be useful to the predication of the formation of stable bimetallic colloids protected by polymer and to the control of the particle size to a certain extent. A series of new PVP-protective bimetallic colloidal dispersions containing noble metal element (Pt, Rh, Pd), light transition metal element (Co, Fe), and boron are obtained from the corresponding salts by the methods of reduction by stage and coreduction, using the NaBH4 as reductant. The TEM, XRD and EPMA measurements indicate the formation of bimetallic colloids. An interesting kind of coil aggregation is observed in the systems of PVP-Pt-Co and PVP-Rh-Co prepared by the method of reduction by stage.     

Hyperbranched polyglycidol assisted green synthetic protocols for the preparation of multifunctional metal nanoparticles

Biocompatible hyperbranched polyglycidol (HBP) has been demonstrated to be an effective reducing and stabilizing agent for the synthesis of highly water-soluble monometallic (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, and Ru) and bimetallic (Au/Pt, Au/Pd, and Au/Ru) nanoparticles (NPs), which provides a general and green protocol to fabricate metal NPs. The HBP-assisted reduction of metal ions follows an analogous polyol process. The reduction reaction rate increases sharply by increasing the temperature and the molecular weight of HBP. The size of NPs is controllable simply by changing the concentration of the metal precursor. High molecular weight HBP is favorable for the formation of NPs with uniform size and improved stability. By utilizing hydroxyl groups in the HBP-passivation layer of Au NPs, TiO(2)/Au, GeO(2)/Au, and SiO(2)/Au nanohybrids are also fabricated via sol-gel processes, which sets a typical example for the creation of versatile metal NPs/inorganic oxide hybrids based on the as-prepared multifunctional NPs.