The energetics of supported metal nanoparticles: relationships to sintering rates and catalytic activity

Core-Shell Au@SnO2 Nanostructures Supported on Na2Ti4O9 Nanobelts as a Highly Active and Deactivation-Resistant Catalyst toward Selective Nitroaromatics Reduction

Catalysis using gold (Au) nanoparticles has become an important field of chemistry. However, activity loss caused by aggregation or leaching of Au nanoparticles greatly limits their application in catalytic reaction. Herein, we report a facile and green synthesis of a core-shell Au@SnO₂ nanocomposite, exhibiting excellent activity toward selective nitroaromatics reduction under mild conditions. The core-shell Au@SnO₂ nanocomposite (Au size = ∼50 nm; shell thickness = ca. 16 nm) is conceived and validated by a direct redox reaction between HAuCl₄ and SnF₂. Optimization of the core size, shell thickness, and dispersion of Au@SnO₂ has been introduced by an alkaline surface supported by negatively charged metal oxide Na₂Ti₄O₉. The as-obtained Au-Sn-Na₂Ti₄O₉ catalyst with much smaller Au cores (ca. 5 nm) and thinner SnO₂ nondensed shells (ca. 4 nm) exhibits highly improved catalytic activities for nitro reduction compared to most of the known Au-based catalysts. Moreover, the core-shell Au@SnO₂ structure inhibits the leaching and agglomeration of Au nanoparticles and thus leads to superior catalytic durability.

Location determination of metal nanoparticles relative to a metal-organic framework

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied in recent decades, while investigations on the location of guest metal NPs relative to host MOF particles remain challenging and very rare. In this work, we have developed several characterization techniques, including high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) tomography, hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe NMR spectroscopy and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), which are able to determine the specific location of metal NPs relative to the MOF particle. The fine PdCu NPs confined inside MIL-101 exhibit excellent catalytic activity, absolute selectivity and satisfied recyclability in the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol in pure water. As far as we know, the determination for the location of metal NPs relative to MOF particles and pore structure information of metal NPs/MOF composites by ¹²⁹Xe NMR and PAS techniques has not yet been reported.

While metal nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied, the determination of the location of guest metal NPs relative to host MOF particles remains challenging. Here the authors develop several techniques to determine the specific location of metal NPs relative to the MOF particles.

Atomically Dispersed Pt1-Polyoxometalate Catalysts: How Does Metal-Support Interaction Affect Stability and Hydrogenation Activity?

Unlike nanostructured metal catalysts, supported single-atom catalysts (SACs) contain only atomically dispersed metal atoms, hinting at much more pronounced metal-support effects. Herein, we take a series of polyoxometalate-supported Pt catalysts as examples to quantitatively investigate the stability of Pt atoms on oxide supports and how the Pt-support interaction influences the catalytic performance. For this entire series, we show that the Pt atoms prefer to stay at a 4-fold hollow site of one polyoxometalate molecule and that the least adsorption energy to obtain sintering-resistant Pt SACs is 5.50 eV, which exactly matches the cohesive energy of bulk Pt metal. Further, we compared their catalytic performance in several hydrogenation reactions and simulated the reaction pathways of propene hydrogenation by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Both experimental and theoretical approaches suggest that despite the Pt₁-support interactions being different, the reaction pathways of various Pt₁-polyoxometalate catalysts are very similar and their effective reaction barriers are close to each other and as low as 24 kJ/mol, indicating the possibility of obtaining SACs with improved stability without compromising activity. DFT calculations show that all reaction elementary steps take place only on the Pt atom without involving neighboring O atoms and that hydrogenation proceeds from the molecularly adsorbed H₂ species. Pt SACs give a weaker H₂ adsorption energy than Pt clusters or surfaces, resulting in small adsorption equilibrium constants and small apparent activation barriers, which agree between experiment and theory.

Predicting Adsorption Properties of Catalytic Descriptors on Bimetallic Nanoalloys with Site-Specific Precision

Bimetallic nanoparticles present a vastly tunable structural and compositional design space rendering them promising materials for catalytic and energy applications. Yet it remains an enduring challenge to efficiently screen candidate alloys with atomic level specificity while explicitly accounting for their inherent stabilities under reaction conditions. Herein, by leveraging correlations between binding energies of metal adsorption sites and metal-adsorbate complexes, we predict adsorption energies of typical catalytic descriptors (OH*, CH₃*, CH*, and CO*) on bimetallic alloys with site-specific resolution. We demonstrate that our approach predicts adsorption energies on top and bridge sites of bimetallic nanoparticles having generic morphologies and chemical environments with errors between 0.09 and 0.18 eV. By forging a link between the inherent stability of an alloy and the adsorption properties of catalytic descriptors, we can now identify active site motifs in nanoalloys that possess targeted catalytic descriptor values while being thermodynamically stable under working conditions.

Engineered nanoparticle exposure and cardiovascular effects: the role of a neuronal-regulated pathway

Human and animal studies have confirmed that inhalation of particles from ambient air or occupational settings not only causes pathophysiological changes in the respiratory system, but causes cardiovascular effects as well. At an equal mass lung burden, nanoparticles are more potent in causing systemic microvascular dysfunction than fine particles of similar composition. Thus, accumulated evidence from animal studies has led to heightened concerns about the potential short- and long-term deleterious effects of inhalation of engineered nanoparticles on the cardiovascular system. This review highlights the new observations from animal studies, which document the adverse effects of pulmonary exposure to engineered nanoparticles on the cardiovascular system and elucidate the potential mechanisms involved in regulation of cardiovascular function, in particular, how the neuronal system plays a role and reacts to pulmonary nanoparticle exposure based on both in vivo and in vitro studies. In addition, this review also discusses the possible influence of altered autonomic nervous activity on preexisting cardiovascular conditions. Whether engineered nanoparticle exposure serves as a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases warrants further investigation.

Direct In Situ TEM Visualization and Insight into the Facet-Dependent Sintering Behaviors of Gold on TiO2

Preventing sintering of supported nanocatalysts is an important issue in nanocatalysis. A feasible way is to choose a suitable support. However, whether the metal-support interactions promote or prevent the sintering has not been fully identified. Now, completely different sintering behaviors of Au nanoparticles on distinct anatase TiO₂ surfaces have been determined by in situ TEM. The full in situ sintering processes of Au nanoparticles were visualized on TiO₂ (101) surface, which coupled the Ostwald ripening and particle migration coalescence. In contrast, no sintering of Au on TiO₂ anatase (001) surface was observed under the same conditions. This facet-dependent sintering mechanism is fully explained by the density function theory calculations. This work not only offers direct evidence of the important role of supports in the sintering process, but also provides insightful information for the design of sintering-resistant nanocatalysts.

Direct observation of noble metal nanoparticles transforming to thermally stable single atoms

Single noble metal atoms and ultrafine metal clusters catalysts tend to sinter into aggregated particles at elevated temperatures, driven by the decrease of metal surface free energy. Herein, we report an unexpected phenomenon that noble metal nanoparticles (Pd, Pt, Au-NPs) can be transformed to thermally stable single atoms (Pd, Pt, Au-SAs) above 900 °C in an inert atmosphere. The atomic dispersion of metal single atoms was confirmed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption fine structures. The dynamic process was recorded by in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy, which showed competing sintering and atomization processes during NP-to-SA conversion. Further, density functional theory calculations revealed that high-temperature NP-to-SA conversion was driven by the formation of the more thermodynamically stable Pd-N₄ structure when mobile Pd atoms were captured on the defects of nitrogen-doped carbon. The thermally stable single atoms (Pd-SAs) exhibited even better activity and selectivity than nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) for semi-hydrogenation of acetylene.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Nanoparticles on Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers: A Highly Efficient Nanocatalyst for the Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Methylamine Borane

We report the fabrication of a novel and highly active nanocatalyst system comprising electrospun carbon nanofiber (CNF)-supported ruthenium nanoparticles (NPs) (Ru@CNF), which can reproducibly be prepared by the ozone-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Ru NPs on electrospun CNFs. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was electropsun into bead-free one-dimensional (1D) nanofibers by electrospinning. The electrospun PAN nanofibers were converted into well-defined 1D CNFs by a two-step carbonization process. We took advantage of an ozone-assisted ALD technique to uniformly decorate the CNF support by highly monodisperse Ru NPs of 3.4 ± 0.4 nm size. The Ru@CNF nanocatalyst system catalyzes the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of methylamine borane (CH₃NH₂BH₃), which has been considered as one of the attractive materials for the efficient chemical hydrogen storage, with a record turnover frequency of 563 mol H₂/mol Ru × min and an excellent conversion (>99%) under air at room temperature with the activation energy ( E_a) of 30.1 kJ/mol. Moreover, Ru@CNF demonstrated remarkable reusability performance and conserved 72% of its inherent catalytic activity even at the fifth recycle.

A high performance catalyst of shape-specific ruthenium nanoparticles for production of primary amines by reductive amination of carbonyl compounds

The creation of metal catalysts with highly active surfaces is pivotal to meeting the strong economic demand of the chemical industry. Specific flat-shaped pristine fcc ruthenium nanoparticles having a large fraction of atomically active {111} facets exposed on their flat surfaces have been developed that act as a highly selective and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the production of various primary amines at exceedingly high reaction rates by the low temperature reductive amination of carbonyl compounds. The high performance of the catalyst is attributed to the large fraction of metallic Ru serving as active sites with weak electron donating ability that prevail on the surface exposed {111} facets of flat-shaped fcc Ru nanoparticles. This catalyst exhibits a highest turnover frequency (TOF) of ca. 1850 h-1 for a model reductive amination of biomass derived furfural to furfurylamine and provides a reaction rate approximately six times higher than that of an efficient and selective support catalyst of Ru-deposited Nb2O5 (TOF: ca. 310 h-1).

Visible-light promoted catalytic activity of dumbbell-like Au nanorods supported on graphene/TiO2 sheets towards hydrogenation reaction

In this work, the rationally-designed sharp corners on Au nanorods tremendously improved the catalytic activity, particularly in the presence of visible light irradiation, towards the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. A strikingly increased rate constant of 50.6 g^-1 s^-1 L was achieved in M-Au-3, which was 41.8 times higher than that of parent Au nanorods under dark conditions. The enhanced activities were proportional to the extent of the protruding sharp corners. Furthermore, remarkably enhanced activities were achieved in novel ternary Au/RGO/TiO₂ sheets, which were endowed with a 52.0 times higher rate constant than that of straight Au nanorods. These remarkably enhanced activities were even higher than those of previously reported 3-5 nm Au and 3 nm Pt nanoparticles. It was systematically observed that there are three aspects to the synergistic effects between Au and RGO sheets: (i) electron transfer from RGO to Au, (ii) a high concentration of p-nitrophenol close to dumbbell-like Au nanorods on RGO sheets, and (iii) increased local reaction temperature from the photothermal effect of both dumbbell-like Au nanorods and RGO sheets.

Confinement Impact for the Dynamics of Supported Metal Nanocatalyst

Supported metal nanoparticles play key roles in nanoelectronics, sensors, energy storage/conversion, and catalysts for the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. Direct observation of the dynamic processes of nanocatalysts at high temperatures and the confinement of supports is of great significance to investigate nanoparticle structure and functions for practical utilization. Here, in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy photos and videos are combined with dynamics simulations to reveal the real-time dynamic behavior of Pt nanocatalysts at operation temperatures. Amorphous Pt surface on moving and deforming particles is the working structure during the high operation temperature rather than a static crystal surface and immobilization on supports as proposed before. The free rearrangement of the shape of Pt nanoparticles allows them to pass through narrow windows, which is generally considered to immobilize the particles. The Pt particles, no matter what their sizes, prefer to stay inside nanopores even when they are fast moving near an opening at temperatures up to 900 °C. The porous confinement also blocks the sintering of the particles under the confinement size of pores. These contribute to the continuous high activity and stability of Pt nanocatalysts inside nanoporous supports during a long-term evaluation of catalytic reforming reaction.

A flow-pulse adsorption-microcalorimetry system for studies of adsorption processes on powder catalysts

A pulse chemisorption system combining a Tian-Calvet microcalorimeter (Setaram Sensys EVO 600) and an automated chemisorption apparatus (Micromeritics Autochem II 2920) was established to accurately measure differential adsorption heats of gas molecules' chemisorption on solid surfaces in a flow-pulse mode. Owing to high sensitivity and high degree of automation in a wide range of temperatures from -100 to 600 °C, this coupled system can present adsorption heats as a function of adsorption temperature and adsorbate coverage. The functions of this system were demonstrated by successful measurements of CO adsorption heats on Pd surfaces at various temperatures and also at different CO coverages by varying the CO concentration in the pulse dose. Key parameters, including adsorption amounts, integral adsorption heats, and differential adsorption heats of CO adsorption on a Pd/CeO₂ catalyst, were acquired. Our adsorption-microcalorimetry system provides a powerful technique for the investigation of adsorption processes on powder catalysts.

Metal Catalysts for Heterogeneous Catalysis: From Single Atoms to Nanoclusters and Nanoparticles

Metal species with different size (single atoms, nanoclusters, and nanoparticles) show different catalytic behavior for various heterogeneous catalytic reactions. It has been shown in the literature that many factors including the particle size, shape, chemical composition, metal-support interaction, and metal-reactant/solvent interaction can have significant influences on the catalytic properties of metal catalysts. The recent developments of well-controlled synthesis methodologies and advanced characterization tools allow one to correlate the relationships at the molecular level. In this Review, the electronic and geometric structures of single atoms, nanoclusters, and nanoparticles will be discussed. Furthermore, we will summarize the catalytic applications of single atoms, nanoclusters, and nanoparticles for different types of reactions, including CO oxidation, selective oxidation, selective hydrogenation, organic reactions, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic reactions. We will compare the results obtained from different systems and try to give a picture on how different types of metal species work in different reactions and give perspectives on the future directions toward better understanding of the catalytic behavior of different metal entities (single atoms, nanoclusters, and nanoparticles) in a unifying manner.

The influence of amine structures on the stability and catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles stabilized by amine-modified hyperbranched polymers

Amine-modified amphiphilic hyperbranched polymers (MePEG-H104-Nx) were prepared from hyperbranched 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid polyester (H104) by decoration with polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (MePEG) and different classes of oligo(ethylenimine)s. By using the MePEG-H104-Nx polymers as stabilizers, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared in an aqueous medium by the reduction of HAuCl₄ with NaBH₄. The AuNPs were sphere-like with diameters of 2-4 nm, which were dependent on the structure of the amines. Further, the catalytic activity of these AuNPs was evaluated by monitoring the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol by sodium borohydride. The results demonstrate that the longer chain length and the branched structure of the amine moieties are beneficial for the stability and catalytic activity of the AuNPs. The AuNPs stabilized by MePEG-H104-N4 and MePEG-H104-Nb3 showed high catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol.

The physical chemistry and materials science behind sinter-resistant catalysts

This tutorial review highlights recent progress in understanding the physical chemistry and materials science for developing sinter-resistant catalytic systems.

Recent progress in improving the stability of copper-based catalysts for hydrogenation of carbon–oxygen bonds

Five different strategies to enhance the stability of Cu-based catalysts for hydrogenation of C–O bonds are summarized in this review.

A mineralogically-inspired silver–bismuth hybrid material: an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the direct synthesis of nitriles from terminal alkynes

A silver-containing hybrid material is reported as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the direct synthesis of organic nitriles from terminal alkynes.

Formation of nitrile species on Ag nanostructures supported on a-Al2O3: a new corrosion route for silver exposed to the atmosphere

The aging of supported Ag nanostructures upon storage in ambient conditions (air and room temperature) for 20 months has been studied. The samples are produced on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD); first a 15 nm thick buffer layer of amorphous aluminum oxide (a-Al₂O₃) is deposited, followed by PLD of Ag. The amount of deposited Ag ranges from that leading to a discontinuous layer up to an almost-percolated layer with a thickness of <6 nm. Some regions of the as-grown silver layers are converted, by laser induced dewetting, into round isolated nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters of up to ∼25 nm. The plasmonic, structural and chemical properties of both as-grown and laser exposed regions upon aging have been followed using extinction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The results show that the discontinuous as-grown regions are optically and chemically unstable and that the metal becomes oxidized faster, the smaller the amount of Ag. The corrosion leads to the formation of nitrile species due to the reaction between NO _x species from the atmosphere adsorbed at the surface of Ag, and hydrocarbons adsorbed in defects at the surface of the a-Al₂O₃ layer during the deposition of the Ag nanostructures by PLD that migrate to the surface of the metal with time. The nitrile formation thus results in the main oxidation mechanism and inhibits almost completely the formation of sulphate/sulphide. Finally, the optical changes upon aging offer an easy-to-use tool for following the aging process. They are dominated by an enhanced absorption in the UV side of the spectrum and a blue-shift of the surface plasmon resonance that are, respectively, related to the formation of a dielectric overlayer on the Ag nanostructure and changes in the dimensions/features of the nanostructures, both due to the oxidation process.

Trends in Adhesion Energies of Metal Nanoparticles on Oxide Surfaces: Understanding Support Effects in Catalysis and Nanotechnology

Nanoparticles on surfaces are ubiquitous in nanotechnologies, especially in catalysis, where metal nanoparticles anchored to oxide supports are widely used to produce and use fuels and chemicals, and in pollution abatement. We show that for hemispherical metal particles of the same diameter, D, the chemical potentials of the metal atoms in the particles (μ_M) differ between two supports by approximately -2(E_adh,A - E_adh,B)V_m/D, where E_ad,i is the adhesion energy between the metal and support i, and V_m is the molar volume of the bulk metal. This is consistent with calorimetric measurements of metal vapor adsorption energies onto clean oxide surfaces where the metal grows as 3D particles, which proved that μ_M increases with decreasing particle size below 6 nm and, for a given size, decreases with E_adh. Since catalytic activity and sintering rates correlate with metal chemical potential, it is thus crucial to understand what properties of catalyst materials control metal/oxide adhesion energies. Trends in how E_adh varies with the metal and the support oxide are presented. For a given oxide, E_adh increases linearly from metal to metal with increasing heat of formation of the most stable oxide of the metal (per mole metal), or metal oxophilicity, suggesting that metal-oxygen bonds dominate interfacial bonding. For the two different stoichiometric oxide surfaces that have been studied on multiple metals (MgO(100) and CeO₂(111), the slopes of these lines are the same, but their offset is large (∼2 J/m²). Adhesion energies increase as MgO(100) ≈ TiO₂(110) < α-Al₂O₃(0001) < CeO₂(111) ≈ Fe₃O₄(111).

Synergistic effect of gold supported on redox active cerium oxide nanoparticles for the catalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol

Gold-coated cerium oxide nanoparticles enhance the catalytic activity towards nitrophenol degradation.

Polystyrene supported palladium nanoparticles catalyzed cinnamic acid synthesis using maleic anhydride as a substitute for acrylic acid

Maleic anhydride as a substitute for acrylic acid for cinnamic acid synthesis was explored elaborating the combined role of the support and the catalyst.

Activation of CO2 by supported Cu clusters

CO₂ forms a bent, negative anion upon adsorption near a Cu₃ cluster supported on TiO₂.