Synthesis of tetrahexahedral platinum nanocrystals with high-index facets and high electro-oxidation activity

MMS6 protein regulates crystal morphology during nano-sized magnetite biomineralization in vivo

Biomineralization, the process by which minerals are deposited by organisms, has attracted considerable attention because this mechanism has shown great potential to inspire bottom-up material syntheses. To understand the mechanism for morphological regulation that occurs during biomineralization, many regulatory proteins have been isolated from various biominerals. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the morphology of biominerals remain unclear because there is a lack of in vivo evidence. Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize intracellular magnetosomes that comprise membrane-enveloped single crystalline magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)). These nano-sized magnetite crystals (<100 nm) are bacterial species dependent in shape and size. Mms6 is a protein that is tightly associated with magnetite crystals. Based on in vitro experiments, this protein was first implicated in morphological regulation during nano-sized magnetite biomineralization. In this study, we analyzed the mms6 gene deletion mutant (Δmms6) of Magnetospirillum magneticum (M. magneticum) AMB-1. Surprisingly, the Δmms6 strain was found to synthesize the smaller magnetite crystals with uncommon crystal faces, while the wild-type and complementation strains synthesized highly ordered cubo-octahedral crystals. Furthermore, deletion of mms6 gene led to drastic changes in the profiles of the proteins tightly bound to magnetite crystals. It was found that Mms6 plays a role in the in vivo regulation of the crystal structure to impart the cubo-octahedral morphology to the crystals during biomineralization in magnetotactic bacteria. Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize magnetite crystals under ambient conditions via a highly controlled morphological regulation system that uses biological molecules.

Twenty second synthesis of Pd nanourchins with high electrochemical activity through an electrochemical route

A rapid, templateless, surfactantless, electrochemical route is reported to synthesize uniform and clean Pd nanoparticles (∼350 nm in diameter) with a substructure of sharp nanospikes (∼95 nm in length). The effects of electrodeposition potential, PdCl(2) concentration, and supporting electrolyte were explored for the formation of the Pd nanourchins. The systematic studies revealed that the concentration of Pd(II) greatly affects the density of the nanospikes on the Pd nanourchins in this short-time synthesis. The substructure of the nanospikes on the nanourchins was examined to be a single-crystal quadrangular pyramid. Further investigation of the Pd nanourchins by cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed their high electrochemical activity toward formic acid oxidation.

Titanium dioxide nanoswords with highly reactive, photocatalytic facets

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is one of the most widely studied and important materials for catalysis, photovoltaics, and surface science applications, but the ability to consistently control the relative exposure of higher surface energy facets during synthesis remains challenging. Here, we present the repeatable synthesis of highly reactive, rutile {001} or {101} facets on broad, sword-shaped TiO(2) nanostructures rapidly synthesized in minutes. Growth occurs along planes of lower surface energy, repeatedly yielding nanostructures with large, high energy facets. The quantitative photocatalytic reactivity of the nanoswords, demonstrated by the photoreduction of silver, is over an order of magnitude higher than reference low energy TiO(2){110} substrates. Therefore, the higher surface energy dominated TiO(2) nanoswords are ideal structures for characterizing the physicochemical properties of rutile TiO(2), and may be used to enhance a variety of catalytic, optical, and clean-technology applications.

Seedless polyol synthesis and CO oxidation activity of monodisperse (111)- and (100)-oriented rhodium nanocrystals in sub-10 nm sizes

Monodisperse sub-10 nm (6.5 nm) sized Rh nanocrystals with (111) and (100) surface structures were synthesized by a seedless polyol reduction in ethylene glycol, with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) as a capping ligand. When using [Rh(Ac)(2)](2) as the metal precursor, (111)-oriented Rh nanopolyhedra containing 76% (111)-twinned hexagons (in 2D projection) were obtained; whereas, when employing RhCl(3) as the metal precursor in the presence of alkylammonium bromide, such as tetramethylammonium bromide and trimethyl(tetradecyl)ammonium bromide, (100)-oriented Rh nanocubes were obtained with 85% selectivity. The {100} faces of the Rh nanocrystals are stabilized by chemically adsorbed Br(-) ions from alkylammonium bromides, which led to (100)-oriented nanocubes. Monolayer films of the (111)-oriented Rh nanopolyhedra and (100)-oriented Rh nanocubes were deposited on silicon wafers in a Langmuir-Blodgett trough to make model 2D nanoarray catalysts. These nanocatalysts were active for CO oxidation by O(2), and the turnover frequency was independent of nanoparticle shape, consistent with that previously observed for Rh(111) and Rh(100) single crystals.

Aqueous-based route toward noble metal nanocrystals: morphology-controlled synthesis and their applications

Noble metal nanocrystals with controlled morphologies play important role in many fields, such as catalysis and SERS, etc. To date, solution-based methods developed to synthesize nanocrystals mainly exploit organic reagents as solvents including polyol, oleic acid/oleylamine, toluene, diphenyl ether and so on. In organic solvent systems, expensive organometallic precursors and toxic organic solvents are often used, bringing about substantial environmental issues. In this article, based on our recent endeavors, we will summarize facile, general aqueous methods to synthesize monodisperse, uniform, single and binary noble metal nanostructures and their applications in liquid fuel cells. We believe this review article will be useful to those devoted to the catalysis and nanocrystal fields.

Epitaxial overgrowth of platinum on palladium nanocrystals

This paper describes a systematic study on the epitaxial overgrowth of Pt on well-defined Pd nanocrystals with different shapes (and exposed facets), including regular octahedrons, truncated octahedrons, and cubes. Two different reducing agents, i.e., citric acid and L-ascorbic acid, were evaluated and compared for the reduction of K₂PtCl₄ in an aqueous solution in the presence of Pd nanocrystal seeds. When citric acid was used as a reducing agent, conformal overgrowth of octahedral Pt shells on regular and truncated octahedrons of Pd led to the formation of Pd-Pt core-shell octahedrons, while non-conformal overgrowth of Pt on cubic Pd seeds resulted in the formation of an incomplete octahedral Pt shell. On the contrary, localized overgrowth of Pt branches was observed when L-ascorbic acid was used as a reducing agent regardless of the facets expressed on the surface of Pd nanocrystal seeds. This work shows that both the binding affinity of a reducing agent to the Pt surface and the reduction kinetics for a Pt precursor play important roles in determining the mode of Pt overgrowth on Pd nanocrystal surface.

Increased mass transport at lithographically defined 3-D porous carbon electrodes

Increased mass transport due to hemispherical diffusion is observed to occur in 3D porous carbon electrodes defined by interferometric lithography. Enhanced catalytic methanol oxidation, after modifying the porous carbon with palladium nanoparticles, and uncharacteristically uniform conducting polymer deposition into the structures are demonstrated. Both examples result in two regions of hierarchical porosity that can be created to maximize surface area, via nanostructuring, within the extended porous network, while taking advantage of hemispherical diffusion through the open pores.

Crystal habit-tuned nanoplate material of Li[Li1/3-2x/3NixMn2/3-x/3]O₂ for high-rate performance lithium-ion batteries

A cathode for high-rate performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been developed from a crystal habit-tuned nanoplate Li(Li(0.17)Ni(0.25)Mn(0.58))O₂ material, in which the proportion of (010) nanoplates (see figure) has been significantly increased. The results demonstrate that the fraction of the surface that is electrochemically active for Li(+) transportation is a key criterion for evaluating the different nanostructures of potential LIB materials.

Colloidal hybrid nanostructures: a new type of functional materials

One key goal of nanocrystal research is the development of experimental methods to selectively control the composition and shape of nanocrystals over a wide range of material combinations. The ability to selectively arrange nanosized domains of metallic, semiconducting, and magnetic materials into a single hybrid nanoparticle offers an intriguing route to engineer nanomaterials with multiple functionalities or the enhanced properties of one domain. In this Review, we focus on recent strategies used to create semiconductor-metal hybrid nanoparticles, present the emergent properties of these multicomponent materials, and discuss their potential applicability in different technologies.

Fabrication and growth mechanism of three-dimensional spherical TiO(2) architectures consisting of TiO(2) nanorods with {110} exposed facets

In this paper, we report on the fabrication of a novel rutile TiO(2) architecture consisting of nanorods with {110} exposed facets through a simple hydrothermal method without using any templates. An outside-in ripening mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of the TiO(2) architectures.The formation of the TiO(2) architectures can be attributed to the Ostwald step rule and highly acidic medium. Significantly, the current method is suitable for high-yield (>98%) production of the TiO(2) architectures with nearly 100% morphological yield. This research provides a facile route to fabricate rutile TiO(2) with three-dimensional microstructures based on nano units. It is easy to realize their industrial-scale synthesis and application because of the simple synthesis method, low cost, and high yield.

Shape control of platinum and palladium nanoparticles for catalysis

Platinum and palladium are important catalysts for a wide variety of industrial processes. With the increasing demands of these materials, the development of high-performance catalysts is an important area of research, and as a result, shape control synthesis has become one of the leading research focuses. This minireview surveys the different approaches in solution-phase synthesis that have been successfully adopted for achieving shaped platinum and palladium nanoparticles that are enclosed with specific crystallographic facets. In addition, catalytic studies of the shaped nanoparticles are highlighted, in which promising results have been reported in terms of enhanced activity and selectivity. The future outlook discusses the aspects in synthesis and catalysis to be considered for the development of highly efficient and effective catalysts.

Experimental evidence for the nanocage effect in catalysis with hollow nanoparticles

Five different hollow cubic nanoparticles with wall length of 75 nm were synthesized from platinum and/or palladium elements. The five nanocatalysts are pure platinum nanocages (PtNCs), pure palladium nanocages (PdNCs), Pt/Pd hollow shell-shell nanocages (NCs) (where Pd is defined as the inner shell around the cavity), Pd/Pt shell-shell NCs, and Pt-Pd alloy NCs. These are used to catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride. The kinetic parameters (rate constants, activation energies, frequency factors, and entropies of activation) of each shell/shell NCs are found to be comparable to that of pure metal NCs made of the same metal coating the cavity in the shell-shell NCs. These results strongly suggest that the catalytic reaction takes place inside the cavity of the hollow nanoparticles. Because of the nanoreactor confinement effect of the hollow nanocatalysts, the frequency factors obtained from the Arrhenius plots are found to be the highest ever reported for this reduction reaction. This is the reason for enhanced rate of this reaction inside the cavity. The importance of mechanism of the homogeneous and the heterogeneous nanocatalytic reactions occurring on the external surface of a solid nanoparticle are contrasted with those occurring on the nanocavity surface.

Silver nanowires--unique templates for functional nanostructures

This feature article reviews the synthesis and application of silver nanowires with the focus on a polyol process that is capable of producing high quality silver nanowires with high yield. The as-synthesized silver nanowires can be used as both physical templates for the synthesis of metal/dielectric core/shell nanowires and chemical templates for the synthesis of metal nanotubes as well as semiconductor nanowires. Typical examples including Ag/SiO(2) coaxial nanocables, single- and multiple-walled nanotubes made of Au-Ag alloy, AgCl nanowires and AgCl/Au core/shell nanowires are discussed in detail to illustrate the versatility of nanostructures derived from silver nanowire templates. Novel properties associated with these one-dimensional nanostructures are also briefly discussed to shed the light on their potential applications in electronics, photonics, optoelectronics, catalysis, and medicine.

Synthesis and surface activity of single-crystalline Co3O4 (111) holey nanosheets

Single crystalline, thermally stable, Co(3)O(4) (111) holey nano-sheets were prepared by an efficient, template-free, wet chemical synthetic approach. The high energy (111) surfaces formed can be used as highly active heterogeneous catalysts for methanol decomposition.

Size threshold in the dibenzothiophene adsorption on MoS2 nanoclusters

In hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of fossil fuels, the sulfur levels are reduced by sulfur extraction from hydrocarbons through a series of catalyzed reaction steps on low-coordinated sites on molybdenum disulfide (MoS(2)) nanoclusters. By means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we show that the adsorption properties of MoS(2) nanoclusters toward the HDS refractory dibenzothiophene (DBT) vary dramatically with small changes in the cluster size. STM images reveal that MoS(2) nanoclusters with a size above a threshold value of 1.5 nm react with hydrogen to form so-called sulfur vacancies predominately located at edge sites, but these edge vacancies are not capable of binding DBT directly. In contrast, MoS(2) nanoclusters below the threshold perform remarkably better. Here, sulfur vacancies form predominantly at the corner sites, and these vacancies show a high affinity for DBT. The results thus indicate that very small MoS(2) nanoclusters may have unique catalytic properties for the production of clean fuels.

Gold microplates with well-defined shapes

The synthesis and growth mechanism of well-defined nanostructures are still challenging. In this study, gold microplates with starlike, shieldlike, and other polygonal shapes are successfully achieved in high yields on the basis of the polyol process. Structural studies demonstrate that these newly shaped Au plates are single-crystalline, several micrometers in lateral size, and tens of nanometers in thickness. It is believed that the introduction of temperature variation in the early stage of crystal growth is important for these products. The newly discovered Au microplates result from the growth of the {111} plane along the 211 and other high-index directions, in addition to the {111}-close-packed 110 directions. Simulations on the multiple-twin-induced crystal growth and surface energy are also carried out to explain the experimental observations. This work is valuable for anisotropic growth of newly shaped noble-metal nanostructures.

Radiolytic syntheses of nanoparticles in supramolecular assemblies

Ionizing radiation is a powerful method in the syntheses of nanoparticles (NPs). The application of ionizing radiation in supramolecular assemblies can afford us more unique conditions to control the composition and morphology of the NPs. So far, most work focused on water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions or reversed micelles. In this supramolecular organization, it has been proved that the effects of many conditions on the yield of e(aq)(-) play a key role, remarkably different from the mechanism in routine chemical method. Besides, some supramolecular assemblies of cyclodextrins and ionic liquids have been used in the syntheses of NPs by ionizing radiation, and many novel and interesting phenomena appeared. This review is intended to underline the three significant aspects of the radiolytic syntheses of NPs in supramolecular assemblies.

Hybrid materials based on Pd nanoparticles on carbon nanostructures for environmentally benign C-C coupling chemistry

The combination of different nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles and carbon nanostructures in a new hybrid material should give rise to interesting properties that combine the advantages of each of the nanocomponents. This review highlights the latest advances in the synthetic design of these hybrid materials where carbon nanostructures act as supports as well as stabilizing agents for very reactive metallic nanoparticles. The striking applications of Pd nanoparticles anchored on the surface of carbon nanostructures in C-C coupling chemistry are analyzed. Special emphasis is placed on the stability of these materials, which is linked to their recyclability. Numerous examples are given that involve the use of these catalysts in Heck, Suzuki and Sonogashira coupling reactions.