Au@Pt纳米粒子单层膜对甲醇氧化的电催化性能及SERS研究

通过种子生长法合成Au@Pt核壳结构纳米粒子,采用两相成膜法制备单层粒子膜,并转移获得Au@Pt核壳纳米粒子单层膜电极,该电极表面纳米粒子分布均匀,具有较大的比表面,对甲醇的氧化具有较好的电催化活性.研究表明,利用内核Au的长程电磁场增强效应,该单层膜表现出均匀且优良的表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)活性,适合作为基底在分子水平上研究表面的吸附和反应.获得了Au@Pt核壳纳米粒子单层膜表面甲醇电催化氧化过程的SERS光谱,为深入分析表面反应机理提供了实验依据.     

通过CeOx修饰提高金纳米颗粒在CO氧化反应中的催化活性和耐久性

CO催化氧化是一个重要的经典反应,与许多应用息息相关,包括痕量CO气体检测、汽车尾气净化和安全防护等,吸引了人们广泛的研究兴趣.负载型Au纳米颗粒在CO氧化等许多反应中有着与众不同的催化活性,具有广泛的应用前景,但依然存在着稳定性差、易团聚失活的问题.人们通过应用多孔载体隔离Au纳米颗粒,在Au纳米颗粒表面覆盖金属氧化物、二氧化硅或碳,以及对Au纳米粒子进行封装等方法解决这些问题.尤其是利用金属氧化物与Au纳米粒子间的强相互作用对其进行覆盖或封装,有效地提高了Au催化材料的稳定性.但以上策略操作流程复杂,不利于应用.本文发展了一种简单有效的方法,通过EDTA的络合作用引入CeOx对Au纳米粒子进行修饰,得到的CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂活性和耐久性明显提升.采用X射线衍射(XRD)和高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)证明了CeOx成功地修饰在Au纳米颗粒上.且通过EDTA引入CeOx所制备的CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂结构明显不同于直接加入纳米CeO2所得到的CeOx-Au/SiO2的结构.EDTA的络合作用能有效地连结Ce与Au物种,经焙烧消除EDTA后,加强了CeOx与Au间相互作用,最终在Au纳米粒子表面形成丰富的CeOx颗粒与原子级厚度的CeOx层.进一步应用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和氢气程序升温还原(H2-TPR)等手段研究了CeOx修饰对Au纳米粒子的影响.XPS结果表明,CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂带正电的Au+和Au3+的浓度明显高于一般的Au/SiO2和直接加入CeO2制备得到的CeOx-Au/SiO2催化剂.H2-TPR同样表明,CeOx修饰调变了Au纳米粒子的氧化还原性.这些均对其在CO催化氧化反应中的催化活性具有重要影响将CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂用于CO催化氧化反应中,160°C时,CO转化率达98.8％,至180°C后实现了CO的完全转化.而一般的Au/SiO2催化剂在160°C时CO转化率仅为4.0％,CO的完全转化则需340°C.直接加入纳米CeO2所得到的CeOx-Au/SiO2催化剂,其催化活性略有提升,CO完全转化所需的温度为300°C.这充分证明了通过CeOx修饰Au纳米粒子,能有效提升其催化活性.原位漫反射红外光谱(DRIFT)结果表明,CeOx修饰促进了CO在Au表面的吸附,并能形成[Au(CO)2]δ+物种;同时还观察到大量的单齿CO32? 物种信号,反映了CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂表面存在丰富的活性氧物种.通入O2后,观察到了大量CO32?物种信号和气相CO2,印证了催化剂表面发生的CO催化氧化过程,也表明其具有非常高的催化活性.考察了CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂的耐久性,发现经50 h CO氧化反应,催化剂依然能有效保持活性.相比之下,Au/SiO2催化剂经10 h反应后,开始明显失活.由此可见,CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂具有相当高的耐久性.在600°C将催化剂焙烧3 h,发现Au/SiO2催化剂中Au纳米粒子存在明显团聚现象,而CeOx@Au/SiO2催化剂的Au纳米粒子依然均匀分布在载体表面,且粒径未发生明显变化.     

通过CeO_x修饰提高金纳米颗粒在CO氧化反应中的催化活性和耐久性（英文）

CO催化氧化是一个重要的经典反应,与许多应用息息相关,包括痕量CO气体检测、汽车尾气净化和安全防护等,吸引了人们广泛的研究兴趣.负载型Au纳米颗粒在CO氧化等许多反应中有着与众不同的催化活性,具有广泛的应用前景,但依然存在着稳定性差、易团聚失活的问题.人们通过应用多孔载体隔离Au纳米颗粒,在Au纳米颗粒表面覆盖金属氧化物、二氧化硅或碳,以及对Au纳米粒子进行封装等方法解决这些问题.尤其是利用金属氧化物与Au纳米粒子间的强相互作用对其进行覆盖或封装,有效地提高了Au催化材料的稳定性.但以上策略操作流程复杂,不利于应用.本文发展了一种简单有效的方法,通过EDTA的络合作用引入CeO_x对Au纳米粒子进行修饰,得到的CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂活性和耐久性明显提升.采用X射线衍射(XRD)和高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)证明了CeO_x成功地修饰在Au纳米颗粒上.且通过EDTA引入CeO_x所制备的CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂结构明显不同于直接加入纳米CeO_2所得到的CeO_x-Au/SiO_2的结构.EDTA的络合作用能有效地连结Ce与Au物种,经焙烧消除EDTA后,加强了CeO_x与Au间相互作用,最终在Au纳米粒子表面形成丰富的CeO_x颗粒与原子级厚度的CeO_x层.进一步应用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和氢气程序升温还原(H_2-TPR)等手段研究了CeO_x修饰对Au纳米粒子的影响.XPS结果表明,CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂带正电的Au~+和Au~(3+)的浓度明显高于一般的Au/SiO_2和直接加入CeO_2制备得到的CeO_x-Au/SiO_2催化剂.H_2-TPR同样表明,CeO_x修饰调变了Au纳米粒子的氧化还原性.这些均对其在CO催化氧化反应中的催化活性具有重要影响将CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂用于CO催化氧化反应中,160℃时,CO转化率达98.8%,至180℃后实现了CO的完全转化.而一般的Au/SiO_2催化剂在160℃时CO转化率仅为4.0%,CO的完全转化则需340℃.直接加入纳米CeO_2所得到的CeO_x-Au/SiO_2催化剂,其催化活性略有提升,CO完全转化所需的温度为300℃.这充分证明了通过CeO_x修饰Au纳米粒子,能有效提升其催化活性.原位漫反射红外光谱(DRIFT)结果表明,CeO_x修饰促进了CO在Au表面的吸附,并能形成[Au(CO)_2]~(δ+)物种;同时还观察到大量的单齿CO_3~(2-)物种信号,反映了CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂表面存在丰富的活性氧物种.通入O_2后,观察到了大量CO_3~(2-)物种信号和气相CO_2,印证了催化剂表面发生的CO催化氧化过程,也表明其具有非常高的催化活性.考察了CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂的耐久性,发现经50hCO氧化反应,催化剂依然能有效保持活性.相比之下,Au/SiO_2催化剂经10 h反应后,开始明显失活.由此可见,CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂具有相当高的耐久性.在600℃将催化剂焙烧3 h,发现Au/SiO_2催化剂中Au纳米粒子存在明显团聚现象,而CeO_x@Au/SiO_2催化剂的Au纳米粒子依然均匀分布在载体表面,且粒径未发生明显变化.     

甲烷氧化偶联纳米SrTiO3催化剂的原位ESR和TPSR表征

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了纳米钙钛矿型复合氧化物SrTiO3催化剂,并用X射线粉末衍射、透射电子显微镜、原位电子自旋共振和程序升温表面反应等技术对催化剂进行了表征,测定了催化剂对甲烷氧化偶联(OCM)反应的催化性能.结果表明,与相同组成的常规SrTiO3催化剂相比,纳米SrTiO3催化剂具有较好的低温(～650℃)催化性能.通过增大Sr/Ti比可进一步优化纳米SrTiO3的催化性能.纳米SrTiO3催化剂表面的吸附氧物种和F中心均具有活化及催化甲烷分子生成C2烃产物的活性,但吸附氧物种易使OCM反应中间体和产物深度氧化,而F中心具有低温活化甲烷分子及高选择性生成C2烃产物的特性.纳米氧化物粒子因表面原子配位不饱和(配位数低),其表面存在较多的F中心。     

纳米Au/TS-1催化剂的制备及用于甲醇羰基化体系

采用负压沉积沉淀法、等体积浸渍法、负压等体积浸渍法等方法制备了纳米Au/TS-1催化剂,研究了深床焙烧和等离子体焙烧,以及焙烧温度和焙烧气氛对催化剂中纳米金粒子大小和催化性能的影响,并采用ICP、TEM、XRD、UV-vis、XPS对催化剂金粒子进行了物化性能表征,采用甲醇羰基化制乙酸甲酯反应表征催化性能.结果表明,不同制备方法、不同焙烧方法、不同焙烧温度和焙烧气氛对负载型纳米Au/TS-1沸石分子筛催化剂中金粒子的大小、形貌、物化性质和催化性能有明显影响.其中,3种制备方法中,氢气气氛下焙烧均比空气和氮气气氛下焙烧得到的催化剂的金粒子尺寸更小,分散更均匀,约为5~10 nm.与其它方法相比,负压沉积沉淀法可制得分散更均匀的金粒子,Au/TS-1沸石催化剂中的金粒子尺寸更小,平均粒径为1~5 nm.催化性能评价结果显示,3种方法制备出的负载型金催化剂用于催化甲醇羰基化制乙酸甲酯反应体系中,甲醇的转化率分别为85%、75%、60%,乙酸甲酯选择性可高达68%,反应温度200℃为最好.     

金属纳米粒子再分散法测定二氧化铈稳定的单原子的位点数

单原子催化剂由于能最大限度地利用贵金属以及其独特的催化性能而引起了人们的兴趣.基于其表面原子性质,CeO2是稳定单金属原子最常用的载体之一.一旦金属含量超过其负载的载体容量,就会形成金属纳米粒子,因而许多单原子催化剂的金属含量受限.目前,还没有直接的测量方法来确定载体稳定单个原子的容量.本文开发了一种基于纳米颗粒的技术,即通过将Ru纳米颗粒重新分散成单个原子,并利用Ru单原子和纳米颗粒在CO2加氢反应中的不同催化性能,从而确定该容量.该方法避免了湿浸初期反离子对金属负载的影响,最终可应用于多种不同的金属.结果表明,该技术可跟踪氧空位浓度和表面氧含量的变化趋势,有望成为一种定量测定载体单原子稳定容量的新方法.     

水滑石负载 Au 纳米粒子的制备及其催化醇氧化反应

 采用离子交换法和 NaBH4 还原法制备了 Mg-Al-水滑石 (LDH) 负载的 Au 纳米粒子 (Au/LDH) 催化剂. X 射线衍射和透射电镜结果表明, Au 粒子较均匀地分散在水滑石表面, 载体仍保持层状结构. 在温和的反应条件下, Au/LDH 对一系列醇的氧化反应表现出优异的催化性能, 如在室温常压下进行分子 O2 氧化 1-苯基乙醇的反应, 底物转化率和苯乙酮选择性都接近 100%, 而且催化剂经过多次循环使用后, 其活性未见下降. 可见, Au/LDH 催化剂在醇氧化反应中具有良好的应用前景.     

分子印迹聚合物负载纳米金催化剂的制备及其底物识别性能

以4-硝基苯甲醇与氯金酸的络合物为模板,利用聚合物空腔内胺基捕获NaBH4还原的纳米粒子,设计和制备了一种具有底物识别性能的分子印迹聚合物负载纳米Au催化剂(Au/MIP).运用红外光谱、紫外-可见光谱和扫描电镜等方法对催化剂进行了表征.同时以水为溶剂,过氧化氢为氧化剂,考察了催化剂在取代苯甲醇氧化反应中的催化性能.结...     

高活性Co3O4负载单原子Au催化剂室温催化CO氧化

CO低温氧化是多相催化领域研究最多的反应之一.作为简单、典型的探针反应,其不仅具有重要的基础研究价值,而且在环境污染消除等方面也有着非常重要的实际应用价值.金属氧化物如铜锰(Hopcalite)、铜铬复合氧化物以及氧化钴等都具有优异的低温CO氧化活性.然而氧化物催化剂热稳定性低、反复启动性能差、以及对硫化物、水等物质敏感,严重制约了其实际应用.相对而言,负载型贵金属催化剂因具有较高的CO氧化活性、反应稳定性以及热稳定性而受到关注.但是贵金属价格昂贵、资源稀少,使其持续应用面临严峻挑战.为了提高贵金属利用效率、降低贵金属使用量,在负载型贵金属催化剂中,贵金属多以纳米尺度分散于高比表面载体上.由于多相催化一般在纳米粒子表面发生,只有表面金属原子能够接触到反应物,因而贵金属原子利用率仍然有待提高.最近本课题组成功开发以原子级分散的单原子催化剂并提出“单原子催化”的概念.后续研究以及其他研究人员相继证明氧化物负载贵金属单原子具有高活性和/或不同于纳米粒子的反应性能,表明开发单原子催化剂是最大化贵金属利用效率、降低贵金属用量的可行途径.对于CO氧化而言,目前普遍认为负载Au催化剂具有最高活性.然而负载Au单原子催化剂是否具有活性仍存争议：理论计算表明氧化物负载Au单原子催化剂具有很好的活性,但是缺少实验证据;目前已有一些氧化物负载Au正价离子催化剂的报道,结果也都表明Au单原子活性远低于纳米粒子或纳米团簇.最近本课题组发现氧化铁负载Au单原子不仅具有与Au纳米粒子相当的单位活性位(TOF)活性而且具有更高的单位金属重量(反应速率)活性以及非常高的反应稳定性.本文将载体拓展到氧化钴,开发了具有更高活性的氧化钴负载Au单原子催化剂, Au负载量仅为0.05 wt%即可在室温条件下实现CO完全转化. Co3O4载体用Co(NO3)3与Na2CO3通过共沉淀法制备,400 oC焙烧.然后通过简单的沉淀吸附法制备Co3O4负载Au单原子催化剂(Au1/Co3O4),确保Au单原子能够分散于载体的表面.具有原子分辨率的球差校正高分辨电镜照片显示Au原子确实以单原子形式分散于载体上.催化剂在第一个循环中活性并不非常高,但是在第二个循环中活性提高非常明显,可以在室温条件下实现CO全转化.为了弄清楚活性提高的原因,我们用惰性气体(He)、氧化性气体(5%O2/He)以及还原性气体(5%CO/He)对催化剂进行了热处理,但是活性提高并不明显.由此推断催化剂是在第一个循环反应过程中发生了某些变化,导致活性显著提高.空白载体实验表明Co3O4载体本身虽然具有反应活性,但是远不如负载少量Au原子活性高,表明Au原子或Au原子与载体一起起到高活性的作用.稳定性研究表明该催化剂在室温条件下容易失活,但经惰性气体或氧化气体处理后活性可恢复,表明不是结构性失活而是可逆失活,说明单原子非常稳定.     

介孔Al2O3负载纳米Au催化剂用于低温催化氧化CO

 用不同模板剂合成了具有较高比表面积和较多表面碱性位的介孔Al2O3载体,并采用均相沉积-沉淀法制备了Al2O3负载纳米Au催化剂,对制备的介孔Al2O3载体及相应催化剂采用低温N2吸附法、TEM和XPS等手段进行了表征,考察了载体表面碱性对纳米Au粒子在载体表面的沉积及相应催化剂在CO氧化反应中催化性能的影响. 以CO2-TPD法测定载体表面碱性,结果表明,介孔氧化铝的表面碱性与其合成过程中所用的模板剂有关. 以表面碱性位较丰富的介孔Al2O3为载体制备的催化剂表面Au粒子分布较均匀且粒径(3.1～3.2 nm)较小,在CO完全氧化反应中催化活性最高,表明载体表面的碱性位有利于稳定其表面沉积的纳米Au粒子. XPS分析结果表明,催化剂表面的Au主要以Au0金属态形式存在,它在CO氧化反应中表现出较高的催化活性.     

Highly efficient and recyclable Au nanoparticle-supported palladium(II) interphase catalysts and microwave-assisted alkyne cyclotrimerization reactions in ionic liquids

The gold nanoparticles with core diameter of 3.9-4.7 nm were stabilized with octanethiolate and dipyridylphosphinicamido undecanethiolate. Without varying the size of central Au cores, palladium complexes were immobilized onto these Au nanoparticles through chelation to the surface-bound dipyridyls. Hybrid catalysts of this type were dissolvable and precipitable, and their structures and reactions were investigated by solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with a resolution typically attained for soluble systems. These surface-bound Pd(II) complexes were highly effective catalysts for [2+2+2] alkyne cyclotrimerization reactions to give highly congested benzene rings with fairly good selectivity. The catalytic reactivity of these interphase catalysts was even higher than that of their unbound counterparts. In addition, they can be easily separated and quantitatively recovered by simple filtration. The recovered catalysts can be effectively recycled many times and their electron microscopy images and NMR spectra showed negligible difference from those of freshly prepared. The complete transformation by Au-bound Pd(II) catalyst with a loading of 4 mol % can be achieved within 1 h for most alkynes. The same catalysis can be further accelerated in ionic liquid under microwave conditions to give nearly 100% of cyclotrimerized products in minutes.     

Dual Gold Catalysis: σ,π‐Propyne Acetylide and Hydroxyl‐Bridged Digold Complexes as Easy‐To‐Prepare and Easy‐To‐Handle Precatalysts

A series of dinuclear gold σ,π‐propyne acetylide complexes were prepared and tested for their catalytic ability in dual gold catalysis that was based on the reaction of an electrophilic π‐complex of gold with a gold acetylide. The air‐stable and storable catalysts can be isolated as silver‐free catalysts in their activated form. These dual catalysts allow a fast initiation phase for the dual catalytic cycles without the need for additional additives for acetylide formation. Because propyne serves as a throw‐away ligand, no traces of the precatalyst are generated. Based on the fast initiation process, side products are minimized and reaction rates are higher for these catalysts. A series of test reactions were used to demonstrate the general applicability of these catalysts. Lower catalyst loadings, faster reaction rates, and better selectivity, combined with the practicability of these catalysts, make them ideal catalysts for dual gold catalysis.     

In Situ Formation of Gold Nanoparticles within a Polymer Particle and Their Catalytic Activities in Various Chemical Reactions

Composite materials consisting of nanoscale gold particles and protective polymer shells were designed and tested as catalysts in various chemical reactions. Initially, the systematic incorporation of multiple gold nanoparticles into a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) particle was achieved by an in situ method under light irradiation. The degree of gold nanoparticle loading, along with the structural and morphological properties, was examined as a function of the amount of initial gold ions and reducing agent. As these gold nanoparticles were physically-embedded within the polymer particle in the absence of strong interfacial interactions between the gold nanoparticles and polymer matrix, the readily-accessible surface of the gold nanoparticles with a highly increased stability allowed for their use as recyclable catalysts in oxidation, reduction, and coupling reactions. Overall, the ability to integrate catalytically-active metal nanoparticles within polymer particles in situ allows for designing novel composite materials for multi-purpose catalytic systems.     

Fluorescence and electrochemiluminescence of luminol-reduced gold nanoparticles: photostability and platform effect

Water-soluble gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) capped with both fluorescent (FL) 3-aminophthalate (APA) and electrochemiluminescent (ECL) luminol molecules were described in our previous work. The synthetic and characteristic efforts of these functionalized AuNPs (lumAuNPs) were subsequently followed by investigations of their FL and ECL properties, as reported in the present work. It was observed that the FL intensity of a single gold nanoparticle was 70 times brighter than that of one free APA molecule, even though 91% of the FL emission of APA molecules on the surfaces of AuNPs was inhibited by gold cores through both intra- and interparticle quenching effects. Moreover, the photobleaching of surface-bound APA molecules was found to be dramatically inhibited compared with that of free ones in carbonate buffer. The improvement of photostability was attributed to the reactive AuNPs which acted as radical scavengers to protect the surface-bound APA molecules from oxidation by carbonate radicals. Furthermore, as-prepared lumAuNPs could react with cysteine to produce strong electrochemiluminescence, which was enhanced by 20-fold compared with that in the absence of cysteine. The experimental results suggested that luminol and cysteine were coadsorbed on the gold nanoparticle platform via Au-N and Au-S interactions, respectively. The shorter distance between reactant molecules by overcoming the electrostatic repulsion, that is, platform effect, was proposed to be responsible for the ECL enhancement. Combined with the biocompatibility of gold cores, the brighter FL emission, enhanced photostability, and stronger ECL intensity may make as-prepared lumAuNPs promising FL and ECL biomarkers for their applications in biosensors and bioimaging.     

Water‐ and Organo‐Dispersible Gold Nanoparticles Supported by Using Ammonium Salts of Hyperbranched Polystyrene: Preparation and Catalysis

Gold nanoparticles (1 nm in size) stabilized by ammonium salts of hyperbranched polystyrene are prepared. Selection of the R groups provides access to both water‐ and organo‐dispersible gold nanoparticles. The resulting gold nanoparticles are subjected to studies on catalysis in solution, which include reduction of 4‐nitrophenol with sodium borohydride, aerobic oxidation of alcohols, and homocoupling of phenylboronic acid. In the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol, the catalytic activity is clearly dependent on the size of the gold nanoparticles. For the aerobic oxidation of alcohols, two types of biphasic oxidation are achieved: one is the catalyst dispersing in the aqueous phase, whereas the other is in the organic phase. The catalysts are reusable more than four times without loss of the catalytic activity. Selective synthesis of biphenyl is achieved by the homocoupling of phenylboronic acid catalyzed by organo‐dispersible gold nanoparticles.     

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.     

含金金属纳米颗粒用于液相化学氢化物催化制氢

液相化学氢化物以化学键的形式储存氢能,被认为是一类很有前景的化学储氢材料。液相化学氢化物的大规模应用很大程度上依赖于高效催化系统的开发。含金金属纳米颗粒在用于液相化学氢化物催化制氢中表现出优异的催化性能。本文综述了金纳米颗粒和含金异金属纳米颗粒用于液相氢化物催化制氢的最新研究进展。     

Synthesis of a stable gold hydrosol by the reduction of chloroaurate ions by the amino acid, aspartic acid

Development of reliable protocols for the synthesis of nanoparticles of well-defined sizes and good monodispersity is an important aspect of nanotechnology. In this paper, we present details of the synthesis of gold nanoparticles of good monodispersity by the reduction of aqueous chloroaurate ions by the amino acid, aspartic acid. The colloidal gold solution thus formed is extremely stable in time, indicating electrostatic stabilization via nanoparticle surface-bound amino acid molecules. This observation has been used to modulate the size of the gold nanoparticles in solution by varying the molar ratio of chloroaurate ions to aspartic acid in the reaction medium. Characterization of the aspartic acid-reduced gold nanoparticles was carried out by UV-visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The use of amino acids in the synthesis and stabilization of gold nanoparticle in water has important implications in the development of new protocols for generation of bioconjugate materials.     

Catalytic Platinum Nanoparticles Decorated with Subnanometer Molybdenum Clusters for Biomass Processing

The development of improved technologies for biomass processing into transportation fuels and industrial chemicals is hindered due to a lack of efficient catalysts for selective oxygen removal. Here we report that platinum nanoparticles decorated with subnanometer molybdenum clusters can efficiently catalyze hydrodeoxygenation of acetic acid, which serves as a model biomass compound. In contrast with monometallic Mo catalysts that are inactive and monometallic Pt catalysts that have low activities and selectivities, bimetallic Pt–Mo catalysts exhibit synergistic effects with high activities and selectivities. The maximum activity occurs at a Pt to Mo molar ratio of three. Although Mo atoms themselves are catalytically inactive, they serve as preferential binding anchors for oxygen atoms while a catalytic transformation proceeds on neighboring surface Pt atoms. Beyond biomass processing, Pt–Mo nanoparticles are promising catalysts for a wide variety of reactions that require a transformation of molecules with an oxygen atom and, more broadly, in other fields of science and technology that require tuning of surface–oxygen interactions.     

Oxygen dissociation on palladium and gold core/shell nanoparticles

Oxygen dissociation reaction on gold, palladium, and gold‐palladium core/shell nanoparticles was investigated with plane wave basis set, density functional theory. Bader population analysis of charge and electron distribution was employed to understand the change of catalytic activity as a function of the nanopaticle composition. The nanoparticles’ electronic properties were investigated and the degree of core/shell charge polarization was estimated for each composition. It was found that surface polarization plays an important role in the catalysis of the initial step of electrophile reactions such as oxygen dissociation. We have investigated the O₂ adsorption energy on each nanoparticle and the activation barrier for the oxygen dissociation reaction as a function of the nanoparticle structure. Furthermore, we have investigated the influence of surface geometry, that is., surface bond lengths on the catalytic activity. We have compared the electronic and the geometry effects on the oxygen activation and dissociation. Our design rules for core/shell nanoparticles offer an effective method for control of the surface catalytic activity. Palladium and gold are often used as catalysts in synthetic chemistry. First‐principles calculations elucidate the mechanisms that control the surface reactivity of gold, palladium, and gold‐palladium core shell nanoparticles in oxygen dissociation reactions. Oxygen dissociation is promoted on the gold surface of gold/palladium core‐shell nanoparticles by favorable electron transfer from the core to the shell. Such core‐shell electronic effects can be used for fine‐tuning the nanoparticles catalytic activity.