Pd‐Nanoparticle‐Supported,PDDA‐Functionalized Graphene as a Promising Catalyst for Alcohol Oxidation

Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) has been employed as a modifying material for the development of new functional materials; then, the functionalized graphene was employed as a support for Pd nanoparticles through a facile method. The structures and morphologies of the as‐synthesized Pd/PDDA–graphene composites were extensively characterized by Raman spectroscopy, XRD, XPS, and TEM. Morphological observation showed that Pd NPs with average diameters of 4.4 nm were evenly deposited over the functionalized graphene sheets. Moreover, the electrochemical experiments indicated that the Pd/PDDA–graphene catalyst showed improved electrocatalytic activity toward alcohol‐oxidation reactions compared to the Pd/graphene and commercial Pd/C systems, as well as previously reported Pd‐based catalysts. This study demonstrates the great potential of PDDA‐functionalized graphene as a support for the development of metal–graphene nanocomposites for important applications in fuel cells.     

Pd@Pt Core–Shell Nanoparticles with Branched Dandelion‐like Morphology as Highly Efficient Catalysts for Olefin Reduction

A facile synthesis based on the addition of ascorbic acid to a mixture of Na₂PdCl₄, K₂PtCl₆, and Pluronic P123 results in highly branched core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) with a micro–mesoporous dandelion‐like morphology comprising Pd core and Pt shell. The slow reduction kinetics associated with the use of ascorbic acid as a weak reductant and suitable Pd/Pt atomic ratio (1:1) play a principal role in the formation mechanism of such branched Pd@Pt core–shell NPs, which differs from the traditional seed‐mediated growth. The catalyst efficiently achieves the reduction of a variety of olefins in good to excellent yields. Importantly, higher catalytic efficiency of dandelion‐like Pd@Pt core–shell NPs was observed for the olefin reduction than commercially available Pt black, Pd NPs, and physically admixed Pt black and Pd NPs. This superior catalytic behavior is not only due to larger surface area and synergistic effects but also to the unique micro–mesoporous structure with significant contribution of mesopores with sizes of several tens of nanometers.     

Hybrid Nanocarbon as a Catalyst for Direct Dehydrogenation of Propane: Formation of an Active and Selective Core–Shell sp2/sp3 Nanocomposite Structure

Hybrid nanocarbon, comprised of a diamond core and a graphitic shell with a variable sp²‐/sp³‐carbon ratio, is controllably obtained through sequential annealing treatment (550–1300 °C) of nanodiamond. The formation of sp² carbon increases with annealing temperature and the nanodiamond surface is reconstructed from amorphous into a well‐ordered, onion‐like carbon structure via an intermediate composite structure—a diamond core covered by a defective, curved graphene outer shell. Direct dehydrogenation of propane shows that the sp²‐/sp³‐nanocomposite exhibits superior catalytic performance to that of individual nanodiamond and graphitic nanocarbon. The optimum catalytic activity of the diamond/graphene composite depends on the maximum structural defectiveness and high chemical reactivity of the ketone groups. Ketone‐type functional groups anchored on the defects/vacancies are active for propene formation; nevertheless, once the oxygen functional groups are desorbed, the defects/vacancies alone might be active sites responsible for the C?H bond activation of propane.     

Pd embedded N,S co‐doped graphene wrapped core‐shell magnetic nanospheres: Engineered stable nanocatalyst for Suzuki couplings

Designed nitrogen and sulfur co‐doped graphene wrapped magnetic core‐shell supported Pd nanoparticles were synthesized through the following steps. Firstly, Fe₃O₄ was prepared, coated with silica and then functionalized with amine groups to create a positive charge on the structure for enhancing the interaction of the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ with graphene oxide. Secondary, the pre‐catalyst wrapped with graphene to enhance adsorption of aromatic substrates through π–π stacking. Thirdly, graphene was doped with nitrogen and sulfur to increase the grafting of Pd in hybrid. Finally, Pd NPs were attached on the surface of pre‐engineered structure to produce Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@N,S‐wG@Pd which exhibited high performance in Suzuki reactions. This superior activity can be indexed to the incorporation of N and S atoms into graphene led to high anchoring and well‐dispersion of Pd NPs on the nanocomposite surface offering large amounts of active centers, that strongly increased the interaction between Pd and substrates to decreases Pd leaching.     

Delivery of Highly Active Noble‐Metal Nanoparticles into Microspherical Supports by an Aerosol‐Spray Method

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) with 1–5 nm diameter obtained from NaHB₄ reduction possess high catalytic activity. However, they are rarely used directly. This work presents a facile, versatile, and efficient aerosol‐spray approach to deliver noble‐metal NPs into metal oxide supports, while maintaining the size of the NPs and the ability to easily adjust the loading amount. In comparison with the conventional spray approach, the size of the loaded noble‐metal nanoparticles can be significantly decreased. An investigation of the 4‐nitrophenol hydrogenation reaction catalyzed by these materials suggests that the NPs/oxides catalysts have high activity and good endurance. For 1 % Au/CeO₂ and Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts, the rate constants reach 2.03 and 1.46 min^?1, which is much higher than many other reports with the same noble‐metal loading scale. Besides, the thermal stability of catalysts can be significantly enhanced by modifying the supports. Therefore, this work contributes an efficient method as well as some guidance on how to produce highly active and stable supported noble‐metal catalysts.     

Metal–Support Cooperative Catalysts for Environmentally Benign Molecular Transformations

Metal–support cooperative catalysts have been developed for sustainable and environmentally benign molecular transformations. The active metal centers and supports in these catalysts could cooperatively activate substrates, resulting in high catalytic performance for liquid‐phase reactions under mild conditions. These catalysts involved hydrotalcite‐supported gold and silver nanoparticles with high catalytic activity for organic reactions such as aerobic oxidation, oxidative carbonylation, and chemoselective reduction of epoxides to alkenes and nitrostyrenes to aminostyrenes using alcohols and CO/H₂O as reducing reagents. This high catalytic performance was due to cooperative catalysis between the metal nanoparticles and basic sites of the hydrotalcite support. To increase the metal–support cooperative effect, core–shell nanostructured catalysts consisting of gold or silver nanoparticles in the core and ceria supports in the shell were designed. These core–shell nanocomposite catalysts were effective for the chemoselective hydrogenation of nitrostyrenes to aminostyrenes, unsaturated aldehydes to allyl alcohols, and alkynes to alkenes using H₂ as a clean reductant. In addition, these solid catalysts could be recovered easily from the reaction mixture by simple filtration, and were reusable with high catalytic activity.     

Transition‐Metal Nitride Core@Noble‐Metal Shell Nanoparticles as Highly CO Tolerant Catalysts

Core–shell architectures offer an effective way to tune and enhance the properties of noble‐metal catalysts. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of Pt shell on titanium tungsten nitride core nanoparticles (Pt/TiWN) by high temperature ammonia nitridation of a parent core–shell carbide material (Pt/TiWC). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed significant core‐level shifts for Pt shells supported on TiWN cores, corresponding to increased stabilization of the Pt valence d‐states. The modulation of the electronic structure of the Pt shell by the nitride core translated into enhanced CO tolerance during hydrogen electrooxidation in the presence of CO. The ability to control shell coverage and vary the heterometallic composition of the shell and nitride core opens up attractive opportunities to synthesize a broad range of new materials with tunable catalytic properties.     

Designed Synthesis of Well‐Defined Pd@Pt Core–Shell Nanoparticles with Controlled Shell Thickness as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

Improving the electrocatalytic activity and durability of Pt‐based catalysts with low Pt content toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the main challenges in advancing the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, a designed synthesis of well‐defined Pd@Pt core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) with a controlled Pt shell thickness of 0.4–1.2 nm by a facile wet chemical method and their electrocatalytic performances for ORR as a function of shell thickness are reported. Pd@Pt NPs with predetermined structural parameters were prepared by in situ heteroepitaxial growth of Pt on as‐synthesized 6 nm Pd NPs without any sacrificial layers and intermediate workup processes, and thus the synthetic procedure for the production of Pd@Pt NPs with well‐defined sizes and shell thicknesses is greatly simplified. The Pt shell thickness could be precisely controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of Pt to Pd. The ORR performance of the Pd@Pt NPs strongly depended on the thickness of their Pt shells. The Pd@Pt NPs with 0.94 nm Pt shells exhibited enhanced specific activity and higher durability compared to other Pd@Pt NPs and commercial Pt/C catalysts. Testing Pd@Pt NPs with 0.94 nm Pt shells in a membrane electrode assembly revealed a single‐cell performance comparable with that of the Pt/C catalyst despite their lower Pt content, that is the present NP catalysts can facilitate low‐cost and high‐efficient applications of PEMFCs.     

Palladium nanoclusters immobilized on defective nanodiamond-graphene core-shell supports for semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene

We report a nanocarbon material with nanodiamond(ND) core and graphene shell(ND@G) as a support for Pd nanocatalysts. The designed catalyst performed good selectivity of styrene(85.2%) at full conversion of phenylacetylene and superior stability under mild conditions. Supported Pd catalysts are characterized by means of high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), Raman, X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and H_2 temperature-programmed reduction(H_2-TPR).The results clearly show that formation of the strong metal-support interaction(SMSI) between Pd nanoclusters and the defective graphene shell helpfully modifies the selectivity and stability of the Pd-based catalysts.     

New Insights into the Diels–Alder Reaction of Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide is regarded as a major precursor for graphene‐based materials. The development of graphene oxide based derivatives with new functionalities requires a thorough understanding of its chemical reactivity, especially for canonical synthetic methods such as the Diels–Alder cycloaddition. The Diels–Alder reaction has been successfully extended with graphene oxide as a source of diene by using maleic anhydride as a dienophile, thereby outlining the presence of the cis diene present in the graphene oxide framework. This reaction provides fundamental information for understanding the exact structure and chemical nature of graphene oxide. On the basis of high‐resolution ¹³C‐SS NMR spectra, we show evidence for the formation of new sp³ carbon centers covalently bonded to graphene oxide following hydrolysis of the reaction product. DFT calculations are also used to show that the presence of a cis dihydroxyl and C vacancy on the surface of graphene oxide are promoting the reaction with significant negative reaction enthalpies.     

Facet‐Dependent and Light‐Assisted Efficient Hydrogen Evolution from Ammonia Borane Using Gold–Palladium Core–Shell Nanocatalysts

Au–Pd core–shell nanocrystals with tetrahexahedral (THH), cubic, and octahedral shapes and comparable sizes were synthesized. Similar‐sized Au and Pd cubes and octahedra were also prepared. These nanocrystals were used for the hydrogen‐evolution reaction (HER) from ammonia borane. Light irradiation can enhance the reaction rate for all the catalysts. In particular, Au–Pd THH exposing {730} facets showed the highest turnover frequency for hydrogen evolution under light with 3‐fold rate enhancement benefiting from lattice strain, modified surface electronic state, and a broader range of light absorption. Finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) simulations show a stronger electric field enhancement on Au–Pd core–shell THH than those on other Pd‐containing nanocrystals. Light‐assisted nitro reduction by ammonia borane on Au–Pd THH was also demonstrated. Au–Pd tetrahexahedra supported on activated carbon can act as a superior recyclable plasmonic photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution.     

In Situ Facile Synthesis of Ru‐Based Core–Shell Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Black and Their High Catalytic Activity in the Dehydrogenation of Amine‐Boranes

Well‐dispersed core–shell Ru@M (M=Co, Ni, Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) supported on carbon black have been synthesized via a facile in situ one‐step procedure under ambient condition. Core‐shell Ru@Co NPs were synthesized and characterized for the first time. The as‐synthesized Ru@Co and Ru@Ni NPs exhibit superior catalytic activity in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane compared with their monometallic and alloy counterparts. The Ru@Co/C NPs are the most reactive, with a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 320 (mol min^?1) mol_Ru^?1 and activation energy (E_a) of 21.16 kJ mol^?1. Ru@Ni/C NPs are the next most active, whereas Ru@Fe/C NPs are almost inactive. Additionally, the as‐synthesized NPs supported on carbon black exhibit higher catalytic activity than catalysts on other conventional supports, such as SiO₂ and γ‐Al₂O₃.     

A Facile One‐Pot Synthesis and Enhanced Formic Acid Oxidation of Monodisperse Pd–Cu Nanocatalysts

Highly monodisperse spherical 3 nm Pd–Cu alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in high yield through the coreduction of [Pd(acac)₂] (acac=acetylacetonate) and [Cu(acac)₂] in nonhydrolytic solutions by using trioctylamine and oleic acid. The relative compositions of Pd and Cu could be tuned by controlling the molar ratios between the metal precursors in the raw solutions. The carbon‐supported Pd–Cu NPs (Pd–Cu/C) were chemically dealloyed by acetic acid washing, which resulted in the formation of porous structures. The prepared Pd–Cu/C catalysts exhibited at least threefold enhancement of Pd mass activities compared with a commercial Pd/C catalyst toward formic acid oxidation in an acidic medium, and also showed outstanding electrocatalytic stabilities. The improved electrocatalytic properties of the Pd–Cu NPs are attributed to the presence of a large number of active sites on their surfaces owing to their small particle sizes and chemically dealloyed porous structures.     

Fabrication of Efficient Hydrogenation Nanoreactors by Modifying the Freedom of Ultrasmall Platinum Nanoparticles within Yolk–Shell Nanospheres

The synthesis of silica‐based yolk–shell nanospheres confined with ultrasmall platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) stabilized with poly(amidoamine), in which the interaction strength between Pt NPs and the support could be facilely tuned, is reported. By ingenious utilization of silica cores with different surface wettability (hydrophilic vs. ‐phobic) as the adsorbent, Pt NPs could be confined in different locations of the yolk–shell nanoreactor (core vs. hollow shell), and thus, exhibit different interaction strengths with the nanoreactor (strong vs. weak). It is interesting to find that the adsorbed Pt NPs are released from the core to the hollow interiors of the yolk–shell nanospheres when a superhydrophobic inner core material (SiO₂?Ph) is employed, which results in the preparation of an immobilized catalyst (Pt@SiO₂?Ph); this possesses the weakest interaction strength with the support and shows the highest catalytic activity (88 500 and 7080 h^?1 for the hydrogenation of cyclohexene and nitrobenzene, respectively), due to its unaffected freedom of Pt NPs for retention of the intrinsic properties.     

Multiple Bonding Between Group 3 Metals and Fe(CO)3−

Heteronuclear Group 3 metal/iron carbonyl anion complexes ScFe(CO)₃^?, YFe(CO)₃^?, and LaFe(CO)₃^? are prepared in the gas phase and studied by mass‐selective infrared (IR) photodissociation spectroscopy as well as quantum‐chemical calculations. All three anion complexes are characterized to have a metal–metal‐bonded C_3v equilibrium geometry with all three carbonyl ligands bonded to the iron center and a closed‐shell singlet electronic ground state. Bonding analyses reveal that there are multiple bonding interactions between the bare group‐3 elements and the Fe(CO)₃^? fragment. Besides one covalent electron‐sharing metal–metal σ bond and two dative π bonds from Fe to the Group 3 metal, there is additional multicenter covalent bonding with the Group 3 atom bonded to Fe and the carbon atoms.     

Silica‐Protection‐Assisted Encapsulation of Cu2O Nanocubes into a Metal–Organic Framework (ZIF‐8) To Provide a Composite Catalyst

The integration of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to form composite materials has attracted great interest due to the broad range of applications. However, to date, it has not been possible to encapsulate metastable NPs with high catalytic activity into MOFs, due to their instability during the preparation process. For the first time, we have successfully developed a template protection–sacrifice (TPS) method to encapsulate metastable NPs such as Cu₂O into MOFs. SiO₂ was used as both a protective shell for Cu₂O nanocubes and a sacrificial template for forming a yolk–shell structure. The obtained Cu₂O@ZIF‐8 composite exhibits excellent cycle stability in the catalytic hydrogenation of 4‐nitrophenol with high activity. This is the first report of a Cu₂O@MOF‐type composite material. The TPS method provides an efficient strategy for encapsulating unstable active metal/metal oxide NPs into MOFs or maybe other porous materials.     

Palladium Nanoparticles Bonded to Two‐Dimensional Iron Oxide Graphene Nanosheets: A Synergistic and Highly Reusable Catalyst for the Tsuji–Trost Reaction in Water and Air

Low cost, high activity and selectivity, convenient separation, and increased reusability are the main requirements for noble‐metal‐nanocatalyst‐catalyzed reactions. Despite tremendous efforts, developing noble‐metal nanocatalysts to meet the above requirements remains a significant challenge. Here we present a general strategy for the preparation of strongly coupled Fe₃O₄ and palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) to graphene sheets by employing polyethyleneimine as the coupling linker. Transmission electron microscopic images show that Pd and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the graphene surface, and the mean particle size of Pd is around 3 nm. This nanocatalyst exhibits synergistic catalysis by Pd nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and a tertiary amine of polyethyleneimine (Pd/Fe₃O₄/PEI/rGO) for the Tsuji–Trost reaction in water and air. For example, the reaction of ethyl acetoacetate with allyl ethyl carbonate afforded the allylated product in more than 99 % isolated yield, and the turnover frequency reached 2200 h^?1. The yield of allylated products was 66 % for Pd/rGO without polyethyleneimine. The catalyst could be readily recycled by a magnet and reused more than 30 times without appreciable loss of activity. In addition, only about 7.5 % of Pd species leached off after 20 cycles, thus rendering this catalyst safer for the environment.     

A General and High‐Yield Galvanic Displacement Approach to Au?M (M=Au,Pd, and Pt) Core–Shell Nanostructures with Porous Shells and Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performances

In this work, we utilize the galvanic displacement synthesis and make it a general and efficient method for the preparation of Au? M (M=Au, Pd, and Pt) core–shell nanostructures with porous shells, which consist of multilayer nanoparticles. The method is generally applicable to the preparation of Au? Au, Au? Pd, and Au? Pt core–shell nanostructures with typical porous shells. Moreover, the Au? Au isomeric core–shell nanostructure is reported for the first time. The lower oxidation states of Au^I, Pd^II, and Pt^II are supposed to contribute to the formation of porous core–shell nanostructures instead of yolk‐shell nanostructures. The electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of porous Au? Pd core–shell nanostructures are assessed as a typical example for the investigation of the advantages of the obtained core–shell nanostructures. As expected, the Au? Pd core–shell nanostructure indeed exhibits a significantly reduced overpotential (the peak potential is shifted in the positive direction by 44 mV and 32 mV), a much improved CO tolerance (I_f/I_b is 3.6 and 1.63 times higher), and an enhanced catalytic stability in comparison with Pd nanoparticles and Pt/C catalysts. Thus, porous Au? M (M=Au, Pd, and Pt) core–shell nanostructures may provide many opportunities in the fields of organic catalysis, direct alcohol fuel cells, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, and so forth.     

Gold/Wüstite Core–shell Nanoparticles: Suppression of Iron Oxidation through the Electron‐Transfer Phenomenon

Plasmonic Au and magnetic Fe are coupled into uniform Au@Fe core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) to confirm that electron transfer occurred from the Au core to the Fe shell. Au NPs synthesized in aqueous medium are used as seeds and coated with an Fe shell. The resulting Au@Fe NPs are characterized by using various analytical techniques. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and superconducting quantum interference device measurements reveal that the Fe shell of the Au@Fe NPs mainly consists of paramagnetic Wüstite with a thin surface oxide layer consisting of maghemite or magnetite. Electron transfer from the Au core to the Fe shell effectively suppresses iron oxidation from Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ near the interface between the Au and the Fe. The charge‐transfer‐induced electronic modification technique enables us to control the degree of iron oxidation and the resulting magnetic properties.