Surface reactions of ammonia on ruthenium nanoparticles revealed by 15N and 13C solid-state NMR

Ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs) stabilized by bis-diphenylphosphinobutane (dppb) and surface-saturated with hydrogen have been exposed to gaseous ¹⁵NH₃ and ¹³CO and studied using solid-state NMR and DFT calculations.

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies of nanoparticles

In this trends article, we review seminal and recent studies using static and magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR to study the structure of nanoparticles and ligands attached to nanoparticles. Solid-state NMR techniques including one-dimensional multinuclear NMR, cross-polarization, techniques for measuring dipolar coupling and internuclear distances, and multidimensional NMR have provided insight into the core-shell structure of nanoparticles as well as the structure of ligands on the nanoparticle surface. Hyperpolarization techniques, in particular solid-state dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), have enabled detailed studies of nanoparticle core-shell structure and surface chemistry, by allowing unprecedented levels of sensitivity to be achieved. The high signal-to-noise afforded by DNP has allowed homonuclear and heteronuclear correlation experiments involving nuclei with low natural abundance to be performed in reasonable experimental times, which previously would not have been possible. The use of DNP to study nanoparticles and their applications will be a fruitful area of study in the coming years as well.

When organophosphorus ruthenium complexes covalently bind to ruthenium nanoparticles to form nanoscale hybrid materials

A hybrid material made of mononuclear organophosphorus polypyridyl ruthenium complexes covalently bonded to ruthenium nanoparticles has been synthesized via a one-pot organometallic procedure and finely characterized. These results open new avenues to access unique hybrid transition metal nanomaterials.

Characterization techniques for nanoparticles: comparison and complementarity upon studying nanoparticle properties

Nanostructures have attracted huge interest as a rapidly growing class of materials for many applications. Several techniques have been used to characterize the size, crystal structure, elemental composition and a variety of other physical properties of nanoparticles. In several cases, there are physical properties that can be evaluated by more than one technique. Different strengths and limitations of each technique complicate the choice of the most suitable method, while often a combinatorial characterization approach is needed. In addition, given that the significance of nanoparticles in basic research and applications is constantly increasing, it is necessary that researchers from separate fields overcome the challenges in the reproducible and reliable characterization of nanomaterials, after their synthesis and further process (e.g. annealing) stages. The principal objective of this review is to summarize the present knowledge on the use, advances, advantages and weaknesses of a large number of experimental techniques that are available for the characterization of nanoparticles. Different characterization techniques are classified according to the concept/group of the technique used, the information they can provide, or the materials that they are destined for. We describe the main characteristics of the techniques and their operation principles and we give various examples of their use, presenting them in a comparative mode, when possible, in relation to the property studied in each case.

Monitoring Thiol-Ligand Exchange on Au Nanoparticle Surfaces

Surface functionalization of nanoparticles (NPs) plays a crucial role in particle solubility and reactivity. It is vital for particle nucleation and growth as well as for catalysis. This raises the quest for functionalization efficiency and new approaches to probe the degree of surface coverage. We present an (in situ) proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) study on the ligand exchange of oleylamine by 1-octadecanethiol as a function of the particle size and repeated functionalization on Au NPs. Ligand exchange is an equilibrium reaction associated with Nernst distribution, which often leads to incomplete surface functionalization following "standard" literature protocols. Here, we show that the surface coverage with the ligand depends on the (i) repeated exchange reactions with large ligand excess, (ii) size of NPs, that is, the surface curvature and reactivity, and (iii) molecular size of the ligand. As resonance shifts and extensive line broadening during and after the ligand exchange impede the evaluation of ¹H NMR spectra, one- and two-dimensional ¹⁹F NMR techniques (correlation spectroscopy and diffusion ordered spectroscopy) with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanthiol as the fluorinated thiol ligand were employed to study the reactions. The enhanced resolution associated with the spectral range of the ¹⁹F nucleus allowed carrying out a site-specific study of thiol chemisorption. The widths and shifts of the resonance signals of the different fluorinated carbon moieties were correlated with the distance to the thiol anchor group. In addition, the diffusion analysis revealed that moieties closer to the NP surface are characterized by a broader diffusion coefficient distribution as well as slower diffusion.

A new approach for the preparation of well-defined Rh and Pt nanoparticles stabilized by phosphine-functionalized silica for selective hydrogenation reactions

In this work, a new methodology for the synthesis of well-defined metallic nanoparticles supported on silica is described. This methodology is based on the surface control provided by SOMC. The nanoparticles are formed via the organometallic approach and are catalytically active in the hydrogenation of p-xylene, 3-hexyne, 4-phenyl-2 butanone, benzaldehyde, and furfural.

Zwitterionic amidinates as effective ligands for platinum nanoparticle hydrogenation catalysts

Pt NPs covered with zwitterionic amidinates as ligands exhibit an exciting ligand effect in the hydrogenation of carbonyl groups when electron donor/acceptor groups are introduced in the N-substituents.

Ligand control of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) is rapidly gaining importance as ligands can stabilize the MNPs and regulate their catalytic properties. Herein we report the first example of Pt NPs ligated by imidazolium-amidinate ligands that bind strongly through the amidinate anion to the platinum surface atoms. The binding was established by ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy, a precedent for nitrogen ligands on MNPs, and XPS. Both monodentate and bidentate coordination modes were found. DFT showed a high bonding energy of up to –48 kcal mol^–1 for bidentate bonding to two adjacent metal atoms, which decreased to –28 ± 4 kcal mol^–1 for monodentate bonding in the absence of impediments by other ligands. While the surface is densely covered with ligands, both IR and ¹³C MAS NMR spectra proved the adsorption of CO on the surface and thus the availability of sites for catalysis. A particle size dependent Knight shift was observed in the ¹³C MAS NMR spectra for the atoms that coordinate to the surface, but for small particles, ∼1.2 nm, it almost vanished, as theory for MNPs predicts; this had not been experimentally verified before. The Pt NPs were found to be catalysts for the hydrogenation of ketones and a notable ligand effect was observed in the hydrogenation of electron-poor carbonyl groups. The catalytic activity is influenced by remote electron donor/acceptor groups introduced in the aryl-N-substituents of the amidinates; p-anisyl groups on the ligand gave catalysts several times faster the ligand containing p-chlorophenyl groups.

Characterizing mixed phosphonic acid ligand capping on CdSe/ZnS quantum dots using ligand exchange and NMR spectroscopy

The ligand capping of phosphonic acid functionalized CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) was investigated with a combination of solution and solid-state (31) P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Two phosphonic acid ligands were used in the synthesis of the QDs, tetradecylphosphonic acid and ethylphosphonic acid. Both alkyl phosphonic acids showed broad liquid and solid-state (31) P NMR resonances for the bound ligands, indicative of heterogeneous binding to the QD surface. In order to quantify the two ligand populations on the surface, ligand exchange facilitated by phenylphosphonic acid resulted in the displacement of the ethylphosphonic acid and tetradecylphosphonic acid and allowed for quantification of the free ligands using (31) P liquid-state NMR. After washing away the free ligand, two broad resonances were observed in the liquids' (31) P NMR corresponding to the alkyl and aromatic phosphonic acids. The washed samples were analyzed via solid-state (31) P NMR, which confirmed the ligand populations on the surface following the ligand exchange process. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Solventless synthesis of Ru(0) composites stabilized with polyphosphorhydrazone (PPH) dendrons and their use in catalysis

Ruthenium is in the air: small Ru NPs are obtained by milling RuCl₃, NaBH₄ and polyphosphorhydrazone dendrons under air. The whole dendron structure is involved in the stabilization process. These NPs catalyze the selective hydrogenation of styrene.

Surface characterisation of phosphine and phosphite stabilised Rh nanoparticles: a model study

The surface characterisation of Rh nanoparticles stabilized by triphenylphosphine and triphenylphosphite shows differences that were correlated with distinct selectivities in catalytic styrene hydrogenation.

Selective catalytic deuteration of phosphorus ligands using ruthenium nanoparticles: a new approach to gain information on ligand coordination

Selective deuteration of phenyl rings in phenyl-alkyl phosphines, including diphosphines, was achieved using Ru/PVP nanoparticles and D₂, which enables the comprehension of how different phosphorus ligands coordinate to the nanoparticle surface.

Tin-decorated ruthenium nanoparticles: a way to tune selectivity in hydrogenation reaction

Two series of ruthenium nanoparticles stabilized either by a polymer (polyvinylpyrrolidone; Ru/PVP) or a ligand (bisdiphenylphosphinobutane; Ru/dppb) were reacted with tributyltin hydride [(n-C4H9)3SnH] leading to tin-decorated ruthenium nanoparticles, Ru/PVP/Sn and Ru/dppb/Sn. The Sn/Ru molar ratio was varied in order to study the influence of the surface tin content on the properties of these new nanoparticles, by comparison with Ru/PVP and Ru/dppb. Besides HRTEM and WAXS analyses, spectroscopic techniques (IR, NMR and Mössbauer) combined with theoretical calculations and a simple catalytic test (styrene hydrogenation) allowed us to evidence the formation of μ(3)-bridging "SnR" groups on the ruthenium surface as well as to rationalize their influence on surface chemistry and catalytic activity.