Shape control of platinum and palladium nanoparticles for catalysis

Controlled synthesis of nanosized palladium icosahedra and their catalytic activity towards formic-acid oxidation

Pd icosahedra with sizes controlled in the range of 5-35 nm were synthesized in high purity through a combination of polyol reduction and seed-mediated growth. The Pd icosahedra were obtained with purity >94 % and uniform sizes controlled in the range of 5-17 nm by using ethylene glycol as both the reductant and solvent. The studies indicate that the formation of Pd nanocrystals with an icosahedral shape was very sensitive to the reaction kinetics. The success of this synthesis relies on the use of HCl to manipulate the reaction kinetics and thus control the twin structure and shape of the resultant nanocrystals. The size of the Pd icosahedra could be further increased up to 35 nm by seed-mediated growth, with 17 nm Pd icosahedra serving as seeds. The multiply twinned Pd icosahedra could grow into larger sizes, and their shape and multiply twinned structure were preserved. Thanks to the presence of twin defects, the Pd icosahedra showed a catalytic current density towards formic-acid oxidation that was 1.9 and 11.6 times higher than that of single-crystal Pd octahedra, which were also fully covered by {111} facets, and commercial Pd/C, respectively.

Seed-mediated growth of noble metal nanocrystals: crystal growth and shape control

Controlled synthesis of noble metal nanocrystals has received enormous attention due to the ability of tailoring the properties of nanocrystals by tuning their shape, size, and composition. The seed-mediated growth method is one of the most reliable and versatile methods to control the shapes of noble metal nanocrystals. This feature article highlights recent strategies regarding shape-controlled synthesis of noble metal nanocrystals by the seed-mediated growth method, with the aim of introducing new strategies and offering new mechanistic insights into nanocrystal shape evolution. Critical parameters affecting the nucleation and growth of noble metal NCs are systemically introduced and analyzed. New developments of extended seed-mediated growth methods were also introduced. Finally, the perspectives of future research on the seed-mediated growth method are also discussed.

Synthesis of monodispersed palladium nanoparticles using tannic acid and its optical non-linearity

Palladium nanoparticles with average size 11.3 nm have been synthesized via a one-step reduction and capping method. This colloidal route using tannic acid does not require any other surfactant or capping agent to direct the growth of palladium nanoparticles. The effect of temperature on the conversion of Pd(2+) ion to Pd(0) is investigated. The growth process of nanoparticles is monitored using UV-visible spectra. The morphology and phase transformation have been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. An attempt to reveal the capping mechanism of tannic acid is done through FTIR analysis. The optical non-linearity of the samples was studied using open aperture Z-scan technique. The significance of this protocol for the generation of environmentally benign palladium nanoparticles lies mainly in its simplicity and cost effectiveness.

Polymeric Hydrogels and Nanoparticles: A Merging and Emerging Field

Hydrogels have had extensive applications in scientific and industrial applications since their invention over 50 years ago. Responsive hydrogels based on temperature, light, and pH stimuli have been developed by changing the chemical components of the matrix structure. On the other hand, metallic nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes have been prepared by physical as well as chemical methods. These inorganic assemblies are currently widely used in the biomedical sciences and engineering fields. Recently, the combined use of hydrogels and nanoparticles in a single entity has gained enormous attention in areas such as catalysts, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, biosensors, and drug delivery. In this review, recent literature describing these technologies is summarized and an outlook on the promising future of this emerging field is provided.

Natural DNA-modified graphene/Pd nanoparticles as highly active catalyst for formic acid electro-oxidation and for the Suzuki reaction

Natural DNA has been considered as a building block for developing novel functional materials. It is abundant, renewable, and biodegradable and has a well-defined structure and conformation with many unique features, which are difficult to find in other polymers. Herein, calf thymus DNA modified graphene/Pd nanoparticle (DNA-G-Pd) hybrid materials are constructed for the first time using DNA as a mediator, and the prepared DNA-G-Pd hybrid shows high catalytic activity for fuel cell formic acid electro-oxidation and for organic Suzuki reaction. The main advantages of using DNA are not only because the aromatic nucleobases in DNA can interact through π-π stacking with graphene basal surface but also because they can chelate Pd via dative bonding in such defined sites along the DNA lattice. Our results indicate that isolated, homogeneous, and ultrafine spherical Pd nanoparticles are densely in situ decorated on DNA-modified graphene surfaces with high stability and dispersibility. The prepared DNA-G-Pd hybrid has much greater activity and durability for formic acid electro-oxidation than the commercial Pd/C catalyst and polyvinylpyrrolidone-mediated graphene/Pd nanoparticle (PVP-G-Pd) hybrid used for direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs). Besides, the DNA-G-Pd hybrid can also be an efficient and recyclable catalyst for the organic Suzuki reaction in aqueous solution under aerobic conditions without any preactivation. Since DNA can chelate various transition metal cations, this proof-of-concept protocol provides the possibility for the tailored design of other novel catalytic materials based on graphene with full exploitation of their properties.

Preparation of carboxyl group-modified palladium nanoparticles in an aqueous solution and their conjugation with DNA

The use of nanomaterials in biomolecular labeling and their corresponding detection has been attracting much attention, recently. There are currently very few studies on palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) due to their lack of appropriate surface functionalities for conjugation with DNA. In this paper, we thus firstly present an approach to prepare carboxyl group-modified Pd NPs (with an average size of 6 nm) by the use of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUDA) as a stabilizer in the aqueous solution. The effect of the various reducing reaction conditions on the morphology of the Pd NPs was investigated. The particles were further characterized by TEM, UV-vis, FT-IR and XPS techniques. DNA was finally covalently conjugated to the surface of the Pd NPs through the activation of the carboxyl group, which was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis and fluorescence analysis. The resulting Pd NPs-DNA conjugates show high single base pair mismatch discrimination capabilities. This work therefore sets a good foundation for further applications of Pd NPs in bio-analytical research.

Recent progress in the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles

Nanoparticles probably constitute the largest class of nanomaterials. Nanoparticles of several inorganic materials have been prepared by employing a variety of synthetic strategies. Besides synthesizing nanoparticles, there has been considerable effort to selectively prepare nanoparticles of different shapes. In view of the great interest in inorganic nanoparticles evinced in the last few years, we have prepared this perspective on the present status of the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles. This article includes a brief discussion of methods followed by reports on the synthesis of nanoparticles of various classes of inorganic materials such as metals, alloys, oxides chalcogenides and pnictides. A brief section on core-shell nanoparticles is also included.

Strategies for the fabrication of porous platinum electrodes

Porous platinum is of high technological importance due to its various applications in fuel cells, sensors, stimulation electrodes, mechanical actuators and catalysis in general. Based on a discussion of the general principles behind the reduction of platinum salts and corresponding deposition processes this article discusses techniques available for platinum electrode fabrication. The numerous, different strategies available to fabricate platinum electrodes are reviewed and discussed in the context of their tuning parameters, strengths and weaknesses. These strategies comprise bottom-up approaches as well as top-down approaches. In bottom-up approaches nanoparticles are synthesized in a fi rst step by chemical, photochemical or sonochemical means followed by an electrode formation step by e.g. thin fi lm technology or network formation to create a contiguous and conducting solid electrode structure. In top-down approaches fabrication starts with an already conductive electrode substrate. Corresponding strategies enable the fabrication of substrate-based electrodes by e.g. electrodeposition or the fabrication of self-supporting electrodes by dealloying. As a further top-down strategy, this review describes methods to decorate porous metals other than platinum with a surface layer of platinum. This way, fabrication methods not performable with platinum can be applied to the fabrication of platinum electrodes with the special benefit of low platinum consumption.

Size-dependent catalytic and melting properties of platinum-palladium nanoparticles

While nanocatalysis is a very active field, there have been very few studies in the size/shape-dependent catalytic properties of transition metals from a thermodynamical approach. Transition metal nanoparticles are very attractive due their high surface to volume ratio and their high surface energy. In particular, in this paper we focus on the Pt-Pd catalyst which is an important system in catalysis. The melting temperature, melting enthalpy, and catalytic activation energy were found to decrease with size. The face centered cubic crystal structure of platinum and palladium has been considered in the model. The shape stability has been discussed. The phase diagram of different polyhedral shapes has been plotted and the surface segregation has been considered. The model predicts a nanoparticle core rich in Pt surrounded by a layer enriched in Pd. The Pd segregation at the surface strongly modifies the catalytic activation energy compared to the non-segregated nanoparticle. The predictions were compared with the available experimental data in the literature. PACS: 65.80-g; 82.60.Qr; 64.75.Jk.

Seed-mediated growth of palladium nanocrystals: the effect of pseudo-halide thiocyanate ions

In synthesis in a solution phase, adsorbates such as halides can interact selectively with different metal crystal facets and affect the final morphology of nanocrystals. Pseudo-halide thiocyanate ions (SCN-) can also adsorb on the metal surface, but they have never been used for the synthesis of shape-controlled colloidal metal nanocrystals. In this study, we first investigated the effect of SCN- on the morphology of palladium nanocrystals through a seed-mediated growth method. The presence of 1 µM SCN- in the growth solutions could lead to the formation of palladium polyhedra: truncated rhombic dodecahedra enclosed by twelve {110}, eight {111} and six {100} facets. The products were nanocubes enclosed with six {100} facets if cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was the only capping agent. Meanwhile, the mechanism of the effect of SCN- on the morphology of Pd nanocrystals is discussed.