A novel method to synthesize polystyrene nanospheres immobilized with silver nanoparticles by using compressed CO2

In this work, a novel route to synthesize polymer/metal composite nanospheres has been proposed. This method combines the advantages that the polymer chains collapse and entangle in the presence of compressed CO(2), which acts as antisolvent, and the metal nanoparticles and polymers can be precipitated simultaneously from micellar solutions by the easy control of CO(2) pressure. Ag/polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites have been successfully prepared using this method. The transmission electronic micrographs (TEM) of the obtained nanocomposites show that the smaller Ag nanoparticles are immobilized by PS nanospheres of about 50 nm; the phase structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Ag/PS nanocomposites show absorption properties at a wavelength of approximately 417 nm. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and FT-IR spectra indicate that there is no chemical linkage or strong interaction between PS and Ag nanoparticles in the resultant products. This method has many potential advantages for applications and may easily be applied to the preparation of a range of inorganic/ polymer composite nanoparticles.     

Crosslinking of poly(vinyl alcohol) using functionalized gold nanoparticles

We report on the preparation of a new class of polymer hydrogels obtained through the chemical crosslinking reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and functionalized gold nanoparticles. Carboxylic group functionalized gold nanoparticles were synthesized, dispersed in a PVA matrix and allow to react with the hydroxyl groups of PVA at high temperature. FT-IR and swelling experiments carried out on the cross-linked samples confirmed that the crosslinking reaction took place. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that functionalized nanoparticles are used as chemical crosslinking agents.     

Preparation of platinum nanoparticles using star-block copolymer with a carboxylic core

Well-defined star polymers containing a functionalized core supply a molecular nanocavity and may be used to control formation of inorganic nanoparticles. Herein, platinum (Pt) nanoparticles of 2-4 nm were prepared by using (poly(acrylic acid)-b-polystyrene)6 (PAA-b-PS)6 amphiphilic star block copolymer as a novel single molecular stabilizer. This PAA core functionalized star polymer was obtained by hydrolysis of (poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-b-polystyrene)6 (PtBA-b-PS)6, which was synthesized by sequential atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of tert-butyl acrylate and styrene with an initiator bearing six 2-bromoisobutyloxyl groups. Pt(IV) ions were loaded by ion exchange to the core of the star polymer and Pt nanoparticle stabilized by single star polymer was produced by a reduction with NaBH4.     

A novel one step synthesis of silver nanoparticles using room temperature ionic liquid and their biocidal activity

This article reports the synthesis of silver Nan particles (SNPs) using 1-(dodecyl) 2 amino-pyridinium bromide ionic liquid. This is a new one phase method for the synthesis of uniform monodispersed crystalline silver nanoparticles in a water-ionic liquid system. In this work, the functionalized room temperature IL acts as stabilizing agent and solvent. Hydrazine hydrate acts as reducing agent. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report of the synthesis of metal nanoparticles using this ionic liquid. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles is very primarily studied by UV-Visible spectroscopic analysis. The TEM and particle size distribution was used to study morphology and size of the particles. The charge on synthesized SNPs was determined by Zeta potential. The silver nanoparticles have been known to have inhibitory and bactericidal effect. The investigation of antibacterial activities of ionic liquid stabilized silver nanoparticles was performed by measurement of the minimum inhibitory concentration.     

Dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticle precursors to supported platinum catalysts

In this contribution, we report the successful preparation of supported metal catalysts using dendrimer-encapsulated Pt nanoparticles as metal precursors. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were first used to template and stabilize Pt nanoparticles prepared in solution. These dendrimer-encapsulated nanoparticles were then deposited onto a commercial high surface area silica support and thermally activated to remove the organic dendrimer. The resulting materials are active oxidation and hydrogenation catalysts. The effects of catalyst preparation and activation on activity for toluene hydrogenation and CO oxidation catalysis are discussed.     

Swelled plastics in supercritical CO2 as media for stabilization of metal nanoparticles and for catalytic hydrogenation

Swelled plastics in supercritical carbon dioxide provide unique environments for stabilizing palladium and rhodium nanoparticles and for catalytic hydrogenation. Complete hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexane can be achieved in 10 minutes using the plastic stabilized Rh nanoparticles at 50 degrees C in supercritical CO(2). High efficiency, reusability, and rapid separation of products are some advantages of the plastic stabilized metal nanoparticles for catalytic hydrogenation in supercritical CO(2).     

Facile Fabrication of Well‐Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles in Mesoporous Silica with Large Open Spaces and Their Catalytic Applications

In this paper, a facile strategy is reported for the preparation of well‐dispersed Pt nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous silica (Pt@OMS) by using a hybrid mesoporous phenolic resin‐silica nanocomposite as the parent material. The phenolic resin polymer is proposed herein to be the key in preventing the aggregation of Pt nanoparticles during their formation process and making contributions both to enhance the surface area and enlarge the pore size of the support. The Pt@OMS proves to be a highly active and stable catalyst for both gas‐phase oxidation of CO and liquid‐phase hydrogenation of 4‐nitrophenol. This work might open new avenues for the preparation of noble metal nanoparticles in mesoporous silica with unique structures for catalytic applications.     

Iron nanoparticles catalyzing the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones

Investigation into the mechanism of transfer hydrogenation using trans-[Fe(NCMe)CO(PPh(2)C(6)H(4)CH═NCHR-)(2)][BF(4)](2), where R = H (1) or R = Ph (2) (from R,R-dpen), has led to strong evidence that the active species in catalysis are iron(0) nanoparticles (Fe NPs) functionalized with achiral (with 1) and chiral (with 2) PNNP-type tetradentate ligands. Support for this proposition is given in terms of in operando techniques such as a kinetic investigation of the induction period during catalysis as well as poisoning experiments using substoichiometric amounts of various poisoning agents. Further support for the presence of Fe(0) NPs includes STEM microscopy imaging with EDX analysis, XPS analysis, and SQUID magnetometry analysis of catalytic solutions. Further evidence of Fe NPs acting as the active catalyst is given in terms of a polymer-supported substrate experiment whereby the NPs are too large to permeate the pores of a functionalized polymer. Final support is given in terms of a combined poisoning/STEM/EDX experiment whereby the poisoning agent is shown to be bound to the Fe NPs. This paper provides evidence of a rare example of asymmetric catalysis with nonprecious metal, zerovalent nanoparticles.     

Polymer Composites with Plasmonic Metal Nanoparticles

Summary: A two-phase method has been adapted for the preparation of polymer composites consisting of regioregular poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl) and Au or Ag nanoparticles. This work compares optical and morphological properties of nanocomposites formed by mixing metal organosols and polymer solution (type I composites) with nanocomposites formed by in-situ reduction in polymer solutions (type II composites). Both types contained very small metal nanoparticles (1–10 nm). Interestingly, more than ten-fold enhancement of Raman scattering of the polymer by the electromagnetic (EM) mechanism of SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) resulted from the coupling of the polymer with plasmonic Au nanoparticles into a nanocomposite system.     

聚合物负载金属纳米粒子型核壳结构催化剂的研究

核壳结构聚合物负载型催化剂因其载体材料独特的结构、形貌和性质而具有优异的催化活性,成为了催化化学领域研究的热点。本文综述了聚合物负载金属纳米粒子型核壳结构催化剂,包括球形聚合物刷负载金属纳米粒子、聚合物中空微球负载金属纳米粒子、聚合物实心微球表面包覆金属纳米粒子等类型催化剂的制备及其相应的催化性能,强调了各类载体的组成和结构特点对催化活性及其稳定性的影响。最后总结了该类催化材料的优势和不足,并对其性能和应用进行了展望。     

Direct synthesis of noble metal/graphene nanocomposites from graphite in water: photo-synthesis

We report on the direct and facile method for noble metal/graphene nano-composites from graphite without reducing agents. In this system, the irradiant white-light instead of the chemical reducing agent exerts the influence on the synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles on graphene. Noble metal salts adsorbed on graphene flakes which were functionalized with ionic surfactants were reduced by irradiation with white light. In particular, noble metal nanoparticles were more evenly distributed on the surface of graphene which was functionalized with SDS than with CTAB.     

Synthesis and characterization of rhodium nanoparticles using HREM techniques

In the present paper, we report the growth of rhodium nanoparticles passivated with n-alkyl thiol molecules using a new synthesis method which is a variation of the Brust phase transfer method.Our method yields extremely small nanoparticles ranging from 1-3 nm in diameter. Depending on the preparation, rhodium nanoparticles are very interesting for many potential applications; however, they are among the less understood noble metal nanoparticles.The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM).This is the first report on the formation of many of the rhodium nanoparticle structures described herein.     

Synthesis and characterization of dendrimer templated supported bimetallic Pt-Au nanoparticles

Bimetallic dendrimer-stabilized nanoparticles (DSNs) were used to prepare supported Pt-Au catalysts within the bulk miscibility gap for this binary system. Hydroxy-terminated generation 5 PAMAM dendrimers were used to prepare Cu(0) nanoparticles (NPs). The Cu(0) NPs were subsequently used to reduce K(2)PtCl(4) and HAuCl(4), preparing stabilized bimetallic Pt-Au NPs with a 1:1 stoichiometry. The stabilized NPs were adsorbed onto a high surface area silica support and thermally activated to remove the dendrimers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO showed that this preparation route resulted in NPs in which the two metals are intimately mixed and that the majority of the bimetallic NPs were smaller than 3 nm. Further, the bimetallic NPs were highly active for CO oxidation catalysis near room temperature and showed evidence of CO induced restructuring at ambient temperatures.     

Surface Chemistry on Small Ruthenium Nanoparticles: Evidence for Site Selective Reactions and Influence of Ligands

The reactivity of two classes of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs) of small size, either sterically stabilized by a polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone, PVP) or electronically stabilized by a ligand (bisdiphenylphosphinobutane, dppb) was tested towards standard reactions, namely CO oxidation, CO₂ reduction and styrene hydrogenation. The aim of the work was to identify the sites of reactivity on the nanoparticles and to study how the presence of ancillary ligands can influence the course of these catalytic reactions by using NMR and IR spectroscopies. It was found that CO oxidation proceeds at room temperature (RT) on Ru NPs but that the system deactivates rapidly in the absence of ligands because of the formation of RuO₂. In the presence of ligands, the reaction involves exclusively the bridging CO groups and no bulk oxidation is observed at RT under catalytic conditions. The reverse reaction, CO₂ reduction, is achieved at 120 °C in the presence of H₂ and leads to CO, which coordinates exclusively in a bridging mode, hence evidencing the competition between hydrides and CO for coordination on Ru NPs. The effect of ligands localized on the surface is also evidenced in catalytic reactions. Thus, styrene is slowly hydrogenated at RT by the two systems Ru/PVP and Ru/dppb, first into ethylbenzene and then into ethylcyclohexane. Selectively poisoning the nanoparticles with bridging CO groups leads to catalysts that are only able to reduce the vinyl group of styrene whereas a full poisoning with both terminal and bridging CO groups leads to inactive catalysts. These results are interpreted in terms of location of the ligands on the particles surface, and evidence site selectivity for both CO oxidation and arene hydrogenation.     

Asymmetric Hybrid Polyoxometalates: A Platform for Multifunctional Redox‐Active Nanomaterials

Access to asymmetrically functionalized polyoxometalates is a grand challenge as it could lead to new molecular nanomaterials with multiple or modular functionality. Now, a simple one‐pot synthetic approach to the isolation of an asymmetrically functionalized organic–inorganic hybrid Wells–Dawson polyoxometalate in good yield is presented. The cluster bears two organophosphonate moieties with contrasting physical properties: a chelating metal‐binding group, and a long aliphatic chain that facilitates solvent‐dependent self‐assembly into soft nanostructures. The orthogonal properties of the modular system are effectively demonstrated by controlled assembly of POM‐based redox‐active nanoparticles. This simple, high‐yielding synthetic method is a promising new approach to the preparation of multi‐functional hybrid metal oxide clusters, supermolecular systems, and soft‐nanomaterials.     

Metal Nanoparticles on Polymer Surfaces: 2. Catalytic Activity of Platinum Nanoparticle Ensembles on Polystyrene

Catalytic properties of platinum nanoparticles deposited onto polystyrene surface from their hydrosol stabilized with sodium polyacrylate are studied. It is shown that, during the adsorption on polymer substrate, metal nanoparticles form rather densely packed ordered monolayer ensembles with high catalytic activity in the model reaction of hydrogen reduction of methyl viologen. This allows one to measure the reaction rate with standard spectrometric method using polymer film with the surface area of 1 cm² or less as a catalyst support.     

Influence of monomer type on miniemulsion polymerization systems stabilized by graphene oxide as sole surfactant

Based on a recent report [J. Polym. Sci. Part A. Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 47–58] whereby we demonstrated the synthesis of polystyrene nanoparticles by miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets as sole surfactant, we hereby report the synthesis of hybrid polymer nanoparticles of several members of the (meth)acrylate family as well as the cross‐linker divinylbenzene via the same approach. The nature of the resultant emulsion is strongly linked to the polarity of the monomer used; monomers with a relatively small polar component (based on Hansen solubility parameters) such as lauryl methacrylate and benzyl methacrylate, in addition to styrene, generate stable emulsions that can be effectively polymerized. Particularly polar monomers (e.g., methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate) formed kinetically stable emulsions in the presence of GO, however rapid coagulation occurred during polymerization. Electron microscopy analysis reveals the formation of polymer nanoparticles with size distribution between 200 and 1000 nm with roughened surface morphologies, indicative of GO sheets adsorbed at the interface. The results of this work demonstrate the applicability of this synthetic route for specific monomers in the preparation of novel graphene‐based polymeric materials. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 5153–5162     

Preparation of functional hybrid palladium nanoparticles using supercritical fluids: a novel approach to detach the growth and functionalization steps

We report a novel and versatile approach to control separately the growth and functionalization steps in preparing functional nanomaterials. The applicability of this method was demonstrated with the preparation of palladium nanoparticles capped with thiol or stabilized with ionic liquid.     

Alternating Copolymerization by Nitroxide‐Mediated Polymerization and Subsequent Orthogonal Functionalization

A novel method for the preparation of functionalized alternating copolymers is presented. Nitroxide‐mediated polymerization of hexafluoroisopropyl acrylate with 7‐octenyl vinyl ether provides the corresponding alternating polymer, which can be chemically modified using two orthogonal polymer‐analogous reactions. A thiol–ene click reaction followed by amidation provides dual‐functionalized alternating copolymers. The potential of this method is illustrated by the preparation of a small library (15 examples) of functionalized alternating copolymers.     

Concise and highly efficient approach to three key pyrimidine precursors for rosuvastatin synthesis

We report the synthesis of 5-formyl-, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-, and 5-(bromomethyl) substituted N-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropylpyrimidin-2-yl]-N-methylmethanesulfonamide. The presented synthetic approach is based on highly efficient three step preparation of functionalized 5-methylpyrimidine. The methyl group is selectively brominated by NBS with irradiation into the bromomethyl derivative, which is then transformed into the hydroxymethyl or formyl groups in nearly quantitative yields. This approach is superior to the existing methodologies for the preparation of the key pyrimidine precursors used in the synthesis of rosuvastatin since no metal catalysis and no cryogenic reaction conditions are involved.