In Situ Observation of Atomic Redistribution in Alloying Gold-Silver Nanorods.

The catalytic performance and optical properties of bimetallic nanoparticles critically depend on the atomic distribution of the two metals in the nanoparticles. However, at elevated temperatures, during light-induced heating, or during catalysis, atomic redistribution can occur. Measuring such metal redistribution in situ is challenging, and a single experimental technique does not suffice. Furthermore, the availability of a well-defined nanoparticle system has been an obstacle for a systematic investigation of the key factors governing the atomic redistribution. In this study, we follow metal redistribution in precisely tunable, single-crystalline Au-core, Ag-shell nanorods in situ, both at a single particle and an ensemble-averaged level, by combining in situ transmission electron spectroscopy with in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure validated by ex situ measurements. We show that the kinetics of atomic redistribution in Au-Ag nanoparticles depend on the metal composition and particle volume, such that a higher Ag content or a larger particle size led to significantly slower metal redistribution. We developed a simple theoretical model based on Fick's first law that can correctly predict the composition- and size-dependent alloying behavior in Au-Ag nanoparticles, as observed experimentally.

Superior Stability of Au/SiO2 Compared to Au/TiO2 Catalysts for the Selective Hydrogenation of Butadiene.

Supported gold nanoparticles are highly selective catalysts for a range of both liquid-phase and gas-phase hydrogenation reactions. However, little is known about their stability during gas-phase catalysis and the influence of the support thereon. We report on the activity, selectivity, and stability of 2-4 nm Au nanoparticulate catalysts, supported on either TiO2 or SiO2, for the hydrogenation of 0.3% butadiene in the presence of 30% propene. Direct comparison of the stability of the Au catalysts was possible as they were prepared via the same method but on different supports. At full conversion of butadiene, only 0.1% of the propene was converted for both supported catalysts, demonstrating their high selectivity. The TiO2-supported catalysts showed a steady loss of activity, which was recovered by heating in air. We demonstrated that the deactivation was not caused by significant metal particle growth or strong metal-support interaction, but rather, it is related to the deposition of carbonaceous species under reaction conditions. In contrast, all the SiO2-supported catalysts were highly stable, with very limited formation of carbonaceous deposits. It shows that SiO2-supported catalysts, despite their 2-3 times lower initial activities, clearly outperform TiO2-supported catalysts within a day of run time.

Volcano-like behavior of Au-Pd core-shell nanoparticles in the selective oxidation of alcohols.

Gold-palladium (AuPd) nanoparticles have shown significantly enhanced activity relative to monometallic Au and Pd catalysts. Knowledge of composition and metal domain distributions is crucial to understanding activity and selectivity, but these parameters are difficult to ascertain in catalytic experiments that have primarily been devoted to equimolar nanoparticles. Here, we report AuPd nanoparticles of varying Au:Pd molar ratios that were prepared by a seed growth method. The selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol was used as a model reaction to study catalytic activity and selectivity changes that occurred after varying the composition of Pd in bimetallic catalysts. We observed a remarkable increase in catalytic conversion when using a 10:1 Au:Pd molar ratio. This composition corresponds to the amount of Pd necessary to cover the existing Au cores with a monolayer of Pd as a full-shell cluster. The key to increased catalytic activity derives from the balance between the number of active sites and the ease of product desorption. According to density functional theory calculations, both parameters are extremely sensitive to the Pd content resulting in the volcano-like activity observed.

Distribution of hexavalent Cr species across the clay mineral surface-water interface.

The adsorption isotherms of Cr(VI) on kaolinite, montmorillonite, and alumina were adequately treated with Langmuir model showing behavior characteristic of single-layer adsorption. The efficiency of the adsorbents in removing Cr(VI) from water follows the order alumina > kaolinite > montmorillonite > silica. Speciation studies indicate that hydrogen chromate ions were the major adsorbed species and simultaneous adsorption of dichromate ion occurred at concentrations greater than approximately 10(-3) mol L(-1). It is most probable that the mechanism of adsorption of the hydrogen chromate ion at the surface of alumina is predominantly electrostatic adsorption, with outer sphere complex formation.