Effect of oxygen treatment on the catalytic activity of Au/SiO2 catalysts

Surface and interface design for heterogeneous catalysis

Recent progresses in catalytic nanocrystals with uniform and well-defined structures, in situ characterization techniques, and theoretical calculations are facilitating the innovation of efficient catalysts via surface and interface designs, including crystal phase design, morphology/facet design, and size design, followed by controlled synthesis.

Investigating the effect of UV light pre-treatment on the oxygen activation capacity of Au/TiO2

UV light pre-illumination-enhanced catalytic O₂ activation by Au/TiO₂. Carbon; hydrogen; oxygen; electron; charge traps; Au; Au perimeter atom.

A pulse chemisorption/reaction system for in situ and time-resolved DRIFTS studies of catalytic reactions on solid surfaces

A pulse chemisorption/reaction system in combination with Fourier transform infrared spectrometer equipped with a diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transformed spectroscopy (DRIFTS) reaction cell and online mass spectrometer is described in detail. Such a system provides an approach to effectively suppress the interference of the gas-phase reactants to the vibrational signals of surface adsorbates during the operando DRIFTS measurements and, thus, allows for in situ and real-time monitor of surface species on catalyst surfaces during chemisorption/reaction processes. Employing this system, we successfully acquired DRIFTS spectra that clearly demonstrate surface species formed by propylene chemisorption and reaction on octahedral Cu2O nanocrystals; we also observed simultaneous chemisorption of CO on top, twofold, and threefold bridged sites of Pd nanoparticles supported on SiO2 upon the collision of CO prior to the saturation of strongly bound sites and the transformation of weakly bound CO(a) into strongly bound CO(a) during the dynamic chemisorption-desorption processes.

Monodisperse α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2)@Au core/shell nanocomposite spheres: synthesis, characterization and properties

A new hybrid spherical structure α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2)@Au with a size of about 141 nm was designed, with a hematite cubic core surrounded by a thick silica shell and further decorated with gold nanoparticles. The monodisperse α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) spheres were first prepared by a sol-gel process based on the modified Stöber method. Subsequently, the surface of the α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) particles was functionalized by-NH(2) functional groups. The electrostatic attraction of -NH(2) groups will attach the negatively charged Au nanoparticles to the amino-functionalized α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) nanospheres in order to prepare α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) monodisperse hybrid spheres. The M(H) hysteresis loop for α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2) and α-Fe(2)O(3)@SiO(2)@Au spheres indicates that the nanocomposite spheres exhibit superparamagnetic characteristics at room temperature. The optical properties and the application of these hybrid nanocomposites as catalysts for the conversion of CO to CO(2) have also been studied.