Various ligand-stabilized metal nanoclusters as homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in the liquid phase

Mechanistic Studies of Improving Pt Catalyst Stability at High Potential via Designing Hydrophobic Micro-Environment with Ionic Liquid in PEMFC

Recently, the focus of fuel cell technologies has shifted from light-duty automotive to heavy-duty vehicle applications, which require improving the stability of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) at high constant potential. The hydrophilicity of Pt makes it easy to combine with water molecules and then oxidize at high potential, resulting in poor durability of the catalyst. In this work, an ionic liquid [BMIM][NTF2] was used to modify the Pt catalyst (Pt/C + IL) to create a hydrophobic, antioxidant micro-environment in the catalyst layer (CL). The effect of [BMIM][NTF2] on the decay of the CL performance at high constant potential (0.85 V) for a long time was investigated. It was found that the performance attenuation of Pt/C + IL in the high-potential range (OCV 0.75 V) was less than that of commercial Pt/C after 10 h. The Pt-oxide coverage test showed that the hydrophobic micro-environment of the CL enhanced the stability by inhibiting Pt oxidation. In addition, the electrochemical recovery of Pt oxides showed that the content of recoverable oxides in Pt/C + IL was higher than that in commercial Pt/C. Overall, modifying the Pt catalyst with hydrophobic ionic liquid is an effective strategy to improve the catalyst stability and reduce the irreversible voltage loss caused by the oxide at high constant potential.

Pt-support interaction and nanoparticle size effect in Pt/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts for low temperature VOCs removal

A series of Pt/CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts (0.5 wt% Pt) with size-controllable Pt nanoparticles were prepared by a modified ethylene glycol reduction method and the Pt particle size effect of Pt/CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts on benzene and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) degradation was investigated. It reveals that the metal-support interaction of PtO_x species and CeO₂-TiO₂ mixed oxides is enhanced by the reduced Pt particle sizes. The formation of more Pt²⁺ species and stronger redox properties at low-temperature resulted by the enhanced metal-support interaction of Pt/CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts both greatly promotes the deep oxidation for benzene and C₂H₃Cl byproduct during DCE degradation at low temperature. Pt/CeTi-11 with the smallest average Pt particle size (1.53 nm) exhibits the highest activity among all the catalysts for benzene degradation, with T_90% of only 152 °C (1000 ppm, GHSV = 15,000 h^-1). However, more acidic sites (especially the strong acid) were formed on the Pt/CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts with bigger Pt nanoparticle (>2.95 nm), contributing to activate and convert DCE to C₂H₃Cl. More importantly, Pt/CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts are extremely stable in DCE degradation reaction, and have been scarcely influenced by the presence of benzene and water in the feed gases.

Biomolecule conjugated metal nanoclusters: bio-inspiration strategies, targeted therapeutics, and diagnostics

To help those suffering from viral infections and cancers, scientists are exploring enhanced therapeutic methods via metal nanoclusters (MNCs).

Resonant-XRD Characterization of Nanoalloyed Au-Pd Catalysts for the Direct Synthesis of H2O2: Quantitative Analysis of Size Dependent Composition of the Nanoparticles †

The focus of this work is on the relationship between the quantitative structural characterization of bimetallic Au-Pd nanoparticles dispersed in an amorphous polymer matrix and their catalytic activity in the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (DS reaction). Resonant X-ray powder diffraction with synchrotron radiation was employed to probe selectively and to reveal fine details of the structure of bimetallic nanoparticles embedded in the support. The semi-quantitative analysis of the resonant X-ray powdered diffraction data, made on a large number of metal nanoparticles, shows that in one of the polymer-supported Au-Pd catalyst for the DS reaction (P75) featured by an overall molar Pd/Au of about 5.54, the smallest metal nanoparticles (MNPs), which account for more than 99.9% of the total MNPs number and for more than 95% of the metal surface, are formed by practically pure palladium. The relative number of bimetallic alloyed nanoparticles is very small (less than 4 × 102 ppm) and they contribute to only about 2% of the total metal surface. In a second gold-enriched catalyst (P50) with an overall molar Pd/Au of 1.84, the proportion of the bimetallic alloyed nanoparticles increased to about 97% and they account for about 99% of the metal surface. As a result of the metal intermixing, the catalytic productivity for the DS reaction increased from 97 to 109 mmolH2O2/molH2, owing to the gold-promotion of palladium.

Understanding the Role of Water in 1,10-Phenanthroline Monohydrate

The solid forms emerging from an experimental screening programme of 1,10-phenanthroline (o-phen), a heavily used bidentate ligand, and interconversion pathways of its two neat forms, the monohdyrate (Hy1) and four solvates with acetone, chloroform, dichloromethane and 1,2-dichloroethane are described. The solvates, identified and characterised with thermoanalyical methods, are unstable when removed from the mother liquor and desolvate at room temperature depending on the relative humidity (RH) to anhydrate I° (AH I°) or transform to Hy1. At ambient conditions Hy1, a stoichiometric channel hydrate, is the thermodynaically most stable o-phen solid form. The enthalpically stabilised Hy1 melts at 102 °C or dehydrates to AH I° at RH < 10% at 25 °C. The potential energy difference between Hy1 and AH I° was calculated to be approx. 15 kJ mol-1. The second anhydrate polymorph (AH II) can be obatined from the quench cooled melt of o-phen, but is unstable at ambient conditions and transforms wihtin minutes to either AH I° or Hy1. The two neat polymorphs are enantiotropically related and water-free o-phen transforms to Hy1 at RH > 16%. The structural and stablity features of the solid forms, in paricular Hy1, are unravelled by a combination of experimental (thermal analysis, moisture sorption/desorption and storage experiments, infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction) and computational modelling (crystal structure prediction and lattice energy calculations), providing a consistent picture why o-phen forms a very stable Z' = 3 channel hydrate.

Magic Numbers in DNA-Stabilized Fluorescent Silver Clusters Lead to Magic Colors

DNA-stabilized silver clusters are remarkable for the selection of fluorescence color by the sequence of the stabilizing DNA oligomer. Yet despite a growing number of applications that exploit this property, no large-scale studies have probed origins of cluster color or whether certain colors occur more frequently than others. Here we employ a set of 684 randomly chosen 10-base oligomers to address these questions. Rather than a flat distribution, we find that specific color bands dominate. Cluster size data indicate that these "magic colors" originate from the existence of magic numbers for DNA-stabilized silver clusters, which differ from those of spheroidal gold clusters stabilized by small-molecule ligands. Elongated cluster structures, enforced by multiple base ligands along the DNA, can account for both magic number sizes and color variation around peak wavelength populations.

In situ monitoring of Pt nanoparticle formation in ethylene glycol solution by SAXS-influence of the NaOH to Pt ratio

The temporal evolution of Pt nanoparticle formation in ethylene glycol solution from H(2)PtCl(6)·6H(2)O at 90 °C for different molar ratios of NaOH to Pt (84, 6.5, and 2) in the presence or absence of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) as protecting agent was followed in situ by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The SAXS profiles were analyzed regarding particle size and size distribution using the Guinier approximation and the indirect Fourier transform technique (IFT). The NaOH to Pt ratio has an influence on the integral nanoparticle formation rate as well as on the metal reduction rate and the ratio of nucleation to growth reactions. The fastest nanoparticle formation rate was observed for the NaOH/Pt ratio of 6.5. The obtained results indicate that the differences in the particle formation rate might be due to differences in the reduction rate of the formed Pt complexes. In alkaline reaction media (NaOH/Pt = 84 or 6.5), small nanoparticles with a relatively narrow size distribution were formed. Therefore, it is assumed that for these NaOH/Pt ratios the particle formation is dominated by nucleation reactions. Additionally, the in situ studies point out that nanoparticles prepared at the NaOH/Pt ratio of 84 do not grow further after attaining a certain particle size. For a NaOH to Pt ratio of 2, that means in acidic medium, particle formation should be dominated by growing processes and, therefore, larger particles are formed accompanied by a broader particle size distribution. The influence of PVP on the nanoparticle formation rate is relatively low. However, in acidic medium, the presence of PVP is necessary in order to protect the formed nanoparticles from irreversible aggregation reactions.

How citrate ligands affect nanoparticle adsorption to microparticle supports

Residual ligands from colloidal synthesis of nanoparticles influence adsorption of nanoparticles to supports and may complicate fabrication of nanoparticle-decorated microparticles. In this work, we studied the adsorption of completely ligand-free metal nanoparticles and controlled ligand-functionalized nanoparticles to chemically inert microparticle supports. Adsorption of ligand-free silver nanoparticles to barium sulfate microparticle supports is a quantitative, nonreversible process following Freundlich adsorption isotherm. However, adsorption efficiency is very sensitive to ligand concentration applied during laser-based synthesis of silver nanoparticles: exceeding a specific threshold concentration of 50 μmol/L citrate equal to a nanoparticle ligand surface coverage of about 50%, results in an almost complete prevention of nanoparticle adsorption because of electrosteric repulsion by ligand shell. Laser-based synthesis of nanoparticle-decorated microparticles is demonstrated with a variety of metal nanoparticles (Ag, Au, Pt, Fe) and supporting microparticles (calcium phosphate, titanium dioxide, barium sulfate) with application potential in heterogeneous catalysis or biomedicine where ligand control offers extra value, like enhanced catalytic activity or biocompatibility.

Development of polymeric palladium-nanoparticle membrane-installed microflow devices and their application in hydrodehalogenation

We have developed a variety of polymeric palladium-nanoparticle membrane-installed microflow devices. Three types of polymers were convoluted with palladium salts under laminar flow conditions in a microflow reactor to form polymeric palladium membranes at the laminar flow interface. These membranes were reduced with aqueous sodium formate or heat to create microflow devices that contain polymeric palladium-nanoparticle membranes. These microflow devices achieved instantaneous hydrodehalogenation of aryl chlorides, bromides, iodides, and triflates by 10-1000 ppm within a residence time of 2-8 s at 50-90 °C by using safe, nonexplosive, aqueous sodium formate to quantitatively afford the corresponding hydrodehalogenated products. Polychlorinated biphenyl (10-1000 ppm) and polybrominated biphenyl (1000 ppm) were completely decomposed under similar conditions, yielding biphenyl as a fungicidal compound.

Preparation of functional magnetic nanocomposites and hybrid materials: recent progress and future directions

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of current research activities on functional, magnetic nanocomposite materials. After a brief introduction to general strategies for the synthesis of superparamagnetic nanoparticles (NPs), different concepts and state-of-the-art solution chemical methods for their integration into various types of functional, magnetic nanocomposite materials will be reviewed. The focus is on functional materials which are based on discrete magnetic NPs, including multicomponent nanostructures, colloidal nanocrystals, matrix-dispersed composite materials and mesoscaled particles. The review further outlines the magnetic, structural, and surface properties of the materials with regard to application.

Colloidal metal nanoparticles as a component of designed catalyst

Recent advances in the synthesis of colloidal metal nanoparticles of controlled sizes and shapes that are relevant for catalyst design are reviewed. Three main methods, based on colloid chemistry techniques in solution, i.e., chemical reduction of metal salt precursors, electrochemical synthesis, and controlled decomposition of organometallic compounds and metal-surfactant complexes, are used to synthesize metal nanoparticles. Their catalytic activity and selectivity depend on the shape, size and composition of the metal nanoparticles, and the support effect, as shown for many reactions in quasi-homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. A specially designed type of thermally stable catalysts--"embedded" metal catalysts, in which metal nanoparticles are isolated by porous support shells so that metal sintering is effectively avoided at high temperatures, are also introduced. The utilization of pre-prepared colloidal metal nanoparticles with tuned size, shape and composition as components of designed catalysts opens up new field in catalysis.

Functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)-stabilized water-soluble palladium nanoparticles: property/activity relationship for the aerobic alcohol oxidation in water

The preparation, characterization, and catalytic properties of water-soluble palladium nanoparticles stabilized by the functionalized-poly(ethylene glycol) as a protective ligand were demonstrated for aerobic oxidation of alcohols in aqueous phase. UV/vis spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved that there was an electronic interaction between the bidentate nitrogen ligand and palladium atoms. Transmission electron microscopy and XPS analysis showed that the particle size and surface properties of the generated palladium nanoparticles can be controlled by varying the amount of protective ligand and the kinds of reducing agents. It was found that both the size and surface properties of palladium nanoparticles played very important roles in affecting catalytic performance. The stabilized metallic palladium nanoparticles were proven to be the active centers for benzyl alcohol oxidation in the present system, and the water-soluble Pd nanocatalysts can also be extended to the selective oxidation of various alcohols.

Ligand-stabilized metal nanoparticles in organic solvent

This critical review reports the fundamental behavior of metal nanoparticles in different organic solvents, i.e., metal organosol. An overview on metal organosol and then their smart synthetic approaches, characterization, and potential applications in the fields of catalysis and spectroscopy with special emphasis on SERS are embodied. Aspects of organosol fabrication, stabilization, morphology control, growth mechanisms, and physical properties as mono- and bimetallic nanoparticles are discussed. The article inspires the repetitive usage of metal nanoparticles as stable deliverable organic and molecular compounds.

Platinum nanoparticle antioxidants inhibit pulmonary inflammation in mice exposed to cigarette smoke

Recent evidence implicates increased oxidative stress as an important mechanism of the pulmonary inflammation that occurs in cigarette smokers. Since cigarette smoke (CS) contains and generates a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that elicit pulmonary inflammation, antioxidants may become effective therapeutic agents for CS-related inflammatory lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Platinum nanoparticles stabilized with polyacrylate to form a stable colloid solution (PAA-Pt) are a new class of antioxidants that has been shown to efficiently quench ROS. In the present study we investigated the therapeutic effects of PAA-Pt on pulmonary inflammation in smoking mice. PAA-Pt or saline was administered intranasally to DBA/2 mice, which were then exposed to CS or control air daily for 3 days. Mice were sacrificed 4h after their final exposure to CS or control air. CS exposure caused depletion of antioxidant capacity, NFkappaB activation, and neutrophilic inflammation in the lungs of mice, and intranasal administration of PAA-Pt prior to CS exposure was found to inhibit these changes. Intranasal administration of PAA-Pt alone did not elicit pulmonary inflammation or toxicity. In in vitro experiments, treatment of alveolar-type-II-like A549 cells with PAA-Pt inhibited cell death after exposure to a CS extract. These results suggest that platinum nanoparticles act as antioxidants that inhibit pulmonary inflammation induced by acute cigarette smoking.