Carbon Monoxide-Induced Dynamic Metal-Surface Nanostructuring

High-Quality Graphene Using Boudouard Reaction

Following the game-changing high-pressure CO (HiPco) process that established the first facile route toward large-scale production of single-walled carbon nanotubes, CO synthesis of cm-sized graphene crystals of ultra-high purity grown during tens of minutes is proposed. The Boudouard reaction serves for the first time to produce individual monolayer structures on the surface of a metal catalyst, thereby providing a chemical vapor deposition technique free from molecular and atomic hydrogen as well as vacuum conditions. This approach facilitates inhibition of the graphene nucleation from the CO/CO2 mixture and maintains a high growth rate of graphene seeds reaching large-scale monocrystals. Unique features of the Boudouard reaction coupled with CO-driven catalyst engineering ensure not only suppression of the second layer growth but also provide a simple and reliable technique for surface cleaning. Aside from being a novel carbon source, carbon monoxide ensures peculiar modification of catalyst and in general opens avenues for breakthrough graphene-catalyst composite production.

Describing inorganic nanoparticles in the context of surface reactivity and catalysis

Fabrication of inorganic nanoparticles is now a mature field. However, further advances, in particular in the field of catalysis, require a more accurate description of their surface and of the transformations occurring beneath the surface in the environment of use. Through a selection of case studies, this feature article proposes a journey from surface science to nanoparticle design, while illustrating state-of-the-art spectroscopies that help provide a relevant description of inorganic nanoparticles in the context of surface reactivity.

Regioselective Atomic Rearrangement of Ag-Pt Octahedral Catalysts by Chemical Vapor-Assisted Treatment

Thermal annealing is a common, and often much-needed, process to optimize the surface structure and composition of bimetallic nanoparticles for high catalytic performance. Such thermal treatment is often carried out either in air or under an inert atmosphere by a trial-and-error approach. Herewith, we present a new chemical vapor-assisted treatment, which can preserve the octahedral morphology of Ag-Pt nanoparticles while modifying the surface into preferred composition arrangements with site-selectivity for high catalytic activity. In situ environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM) study reveals a relatively homogeneous distribution of Ag and Pt is generated on the surface of Ag-Pt nanoparticles upon exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), whereas Pt atoms preferably segregate to the edge regions when the gas atmosphere is switched to argon. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest stabilization of Pt atoms is energetically favored in the form of mixed surface alloys when CO vapor is present. Without CO, Ag and Pt phase separate under the similar mild treatment condition. There exists a close correlation between the tunable surface structures and the catalytic activities of Ag-Pt octahedral nanoparticles.

Oxidative IR spectroelectrochemistry of copper in methanol containing carbon monoxide

IR spectroelectrochemistry was used to examine the electro-oxidation behavior of carbon monoxide in methanol at a polycrystalline copper electrode. Under such neutral conditions copper electrodes are coated with ill-defined copper oxides and hydroxides and at the oxidative potentials can be expected to generate soluble copper species. The electrochemistry displayed complex behavior suggesting that methanol oxidation was one prominent reaction. However, the spectroscopy revealed that very little methanol oxidation had occurred and that carbon monoxide was not adsorbed to the copper electrode. Instead, the electro-oxidation generated an intense IR band at 2107 cm(-1) that was attributed to a soluble [Cu(I)CO](+) species.