Loka Subramanyam Sarma

Architecture of Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reverse micelles as investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

In this study, we demonstrate the unique application of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as a fundamental characterization tool to help in designing and controlling the architecture of Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles within a water-in-oil microemulsion system of water/sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane. Structural insights obtained from the in situ XAS measurements recorded at each step during the formation process revealed that Pd-Au bimetallic clusters with various Pd-Au atomic stackings are formed by properly performing hydrazine reduction and redox transmetalation reactions sequentially within water-in-oil microemulsions. A structural model is provided to explain reasonably each reaction step and to give detailed insight into the nucleation and growth mechanism of Pd-Au bimetallic clusters. The combination of in situ XAS analysis at both the Pd K-edge and the Au L(III)-edge and UV-vis absorption spectral features confirms that the formation of Pd-Au bimetallic clusters follows a (Pd(nuclei)-Au(stack))-Pd(surf) stacking. This result further implies that the thickness of Au(stack) and Pd(surf) layers may be modulated by varying the dosage of the Au precursor and hydrazine, respectively. In addition, a bimetallic (Pd-Au)(alloy) nanocluster with a (Pd(nuclei)-Au(stack))-(Pd-Au(alloy))(surf) stacking was also designed and synthesized in order to check the feasibility of Pd(surf) layer modification. The result reveals that the Pd(surf) layer of the stacked (Pd(nuclei)-Au)(stack) bimetallic clusters can be successfully modified to form a (Au-Pd alloy)(surf) layer by a co-reduction of Pd and Au ions by hydrazine. Further, we demonstrate the alloying extent or atomic distribution of Pd and Au in Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles from the derived XAS structural parameters. The complete XAS-based methodology, demonstrated here on the Pd-Au bimetallic system, can easily be extended to design and control the alloying extent or atomic distribution, atomic stacking, and electronic structure to construct many other types of bimetallic systems for interesting applications.

Tunable properties of PtxFe1−x electrocatalysts and their catalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction

We present the controlled synthesis of bimetallic Pt(x)Fe(1-x) nanoparticles with tunable physical properties and a study of their catalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Composition-induced variations in alloying extent and Pt d-band vacancies in Pt-Fe/C catalysts are systematically investigated. Density functional theoretical calculations are performed in order to realize the electronic effect caused by alloying Pt with Fe. The DFT computational observations revealed that iron donates electrons to platinum, when the Fe 3d and Pt 5d orbitals undergo hybridization. The Pt(x)Fe(1-x) catalysts with various Pt-to-Fe atomic ratios are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). TEM images indicate that the dispersion of the metal nanoparticles is uniform and the XAS technique provides significant insight on Pt d-band vacancies and the alloying extent of Pt and Fe in Pt(x)Fe(1-x) nanoparticles. Rotating-disk voltammetry of Pt(x)Fe(1-x) nanoparticle catalysts with various Pt : Fe atomic compositions (3 : 1, 1 : 1, and 1 : 3) revealed that the Pt(1)Fe(1)/C nanocatalyst showed a greater enhancement in ORR activity than platinum. The enhanced catalytic activity toward ORR is attributed to the higher alloying extent of platinum and iron as well as the promising electronic structure offered by the lower unfilled Pt d states in Pt(x)Fe(1-x) nanoparticles when compared to pure Pt.

Platinum-Decorated Ruthenium Nanoparticles for Enhanced Methanol Electrooxidation

A promising electrocatalyst based on the reduction of Pt2+ ions on the surface of hexagonally close‐packed (hcp) Ru core nanoparticles has been prepared by a redox–transmetalation process. This simple synthetic process generates a Pt‐on‐Ru catalyst with a lower Pt content than commercially available PtRu electrocatalysts and with a long‐range ordered hcp structure, which can significantly reduce the Pt loading. X‐Ray absorption spectroscopy of the Pt‐on‐Ru catalyst reveals pronounced electronic modifications when compared to the commercial PtRu black catalyst. The Pt‐on‐Ru catalyst exhibits a higher mass‐specific current than the PtRu black catalyst in solution in 0.5 M H2SO4 with 10 vol. % CH3OH under the conditions of rotating disk experiments. Further optimization of this synthetic procedure may yield even more active electrocatalysts with a significant reduction in noble metal loadings.

Development of highly sensitive extractive spectrophotometric determination of nickel(II) in medicinal leaves, soil, industrial effluents and standard alloy samples using pyridoxal-4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone.

Pyridoxal-4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (PPT) is proposed as a new sensitive reagent for the extractive spectrophotometric determination of nickel(II). PPT reacts with nickel(II) in the pH range 4.0-6.0 to form a reddish brown colored complex, which was well-extracted into n-butanol. The absorbance value of the Ni(II)-PPT complex was measured at different time intervals at 430nm, to ascertain the stability of the complex. The system obeyed Beers law up to 0.5-5.0microgmL(-1) of nickel(II), with an excellent linearity in terms of the correlation coefficient value of 0.99. The molar absorptivity and Sandells sensitivity of the extracted species are 1.92 x 10(4)Lmol(-1)cm(-1) and 0.003057microgcm(-2) respectively at 430nm. The detection limit of the method is 0.069microgmL(-1). To assess precision and accuracy of the developed method, determinations were carried out at different concentrations. The relative standard deviation of all measurements does not exceed 2.62%. The developed method has been satisfactorily applied for the determination of nickel(II), when present alone or in the presence of diverse ions, which are usually associated with nickel(II) in medicinal leaves, soil and industrial effluent samples. Various standard and certified reference materials (CM 247 LC, IN 718, BCS 233, 266, 253 and 251) have also been tested for the determination of nickel for the purpose of validation of the present method. The results of the proposed method are compared with those obtained from an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS).

Relating the Composition of PtxRu100−x/C Nanoparticles to Their Structural Aspects and Electrocatalytic Activities in the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

A controlled composition-based method--that is, the microwave-assisted ethylene glycol (MEG) method--was successfully developed to prepare bimetallic Pt(x)Ru(100-x)/C nanoparticles (NPs) with different alloy compositions. This study highlights the impact of the variation in alloy composition of Pt(x)Ru(100-x)/C NPs on their alloying extent (structure) and subsequently their catalytic activity towards the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The alloying extent of these Pt(x)Ru(100-x)/C NPs has a strong influence on their Pt d-band vacancy and Pt electroactive surface area (Pt ECSA); this relationship was systematically evaluated by using X-ray absorption (XAS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and electrochemical analyses. The MOR activity depends on two effects that act in cooperation, namely, the number of active Pt sites and their activity. Here the number of active Pt sites is associated with the Pt ECSA value, whereas the Pt-site activity is associated with the alloying extent and Pt d-band vacancy (electronic) effects. Among the Pt(x)Ru(100-x)/C NPs with various Pt:Ru atomic ratios (x = 25, 50, and 75), the Pt(75)Ru(25)/C NPs were shown to be superior in MOR activity on account of their favorable alloying extent, Pt d-band vacancy, and Pt ECSA. This short study brings new insight into probing the synergistic effect on the surface reactivity of the Pt(x)Ru(100-x)/C NPs, and possibly other bimetallic Pt-based alloy NPs.

Investigation of formation mechanism of Pt(111) nanoparticle layers grown on Ru(0001) core.

A layer growth mechanism of Pt-Ru bimetallic nanoparticles has been proposed with supporting experiments and calculations by density functional theory (DFT). Elongated Pt atoms on Ru nanoparticles were synthesized via a two-step route, and their structural details were obtained by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Because of the intrinsic mismatch of lattice spacing between the two elements, such an unusual growth was analyzed with the DFT simulations to explore the mystery of the growth mechanism. Pt atoms would rearrange the packing order and adjust the Pt-Pt atomic distance, and so do the Ru nanoparticles in order to achieve the optimal energy status of the bimetallic system. The resultant Pt(111) layers could stack on top of the Ru(0001) core more tightly by fitting the pockets left between the Ru atoms. The findings give insight into the formation mechanism of the nanosized Pt-Ru bimetallic catalyst and pave the way for designing bimetallic catalysts with tailored properties at the atomic level.

Depth profile of alloying extent and composition in bimetallic nanoparticles investigated by in situ x-ray absorption spectroscopy

The authors report a general methodology for probing the depth profile of alloying extent and composition in bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) by a combined in situ x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electrochemical strategy. The XAS results of Pt-richcore–Ru-richshell NPs during methanol electro-oxidation revealed that the alloying extent of Pt (JPt) and Ru (JRu) is higher in the core region compared to those in the shell region. An average decrease in the JPt and JRu is observed when the cluster undergoes reduction. By controlling the cluster oxidation degree it is possible to probe the depth profile of the alloying extent in bimetallic NPs.

Stacking Structure of Confined 1‐Butanol in SBA‐15 Investigated by Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy

Understanding the complex thermodynamic behavior of confined amphiphilic molecules in biological or mesoporous hosts requires detailed knowledge of the stacking structures. Here, we present detailed solid-state NMR spectroscopic investigations on 1-butanol molecules confined in the hydrophilic mesoporous SBA-15 host. A range of NMR spectroscopic measurements comprising of (1)H spin-lattice (T(1)), spin-spin (T(2)) relaxation, (13)C cross-polarization (CP), and (1)H,(1)H two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy ((1)H,(1)H 2D NOESY) with the magic angle spinning (MAS) technique as well as static wide-line (2)H NMR spectra have been used to investigate the dynamics and to observe the stacking structure of confined 1-butanol in SBA-15. The results suggest that not only the molecular reorientation but also the exchange motions of confined molecules of 1-butanol are extremely restricted in the confined space of the SBA-15 pores. The dynamics of the confined molecules of 1-butanol imply that the (1)H,(1)H 2D NOESY should be an appropriate technique to observe the stacking structure of confined amphiphilc molecules. This study is the first to observe that a significant part of confined 1-butanol molecules are orientated as tilted bilayered structures on the surface of the host SBA-15 pores in a time-average state by solid-state NMR spectroscopy with the (1)H,(1)H 2D NOESY technique.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Nanocrystalline Zirconia by Surfactant-Assisted Hydrothermal Approach

In this paper, we have reported the chemical synthesis of thermally stable mesoporous nanocrystalline zirconia with high surface area using a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal approach. We have employed different type of surfactants such as CTAB, SDS and Triton X-100 in our synthesis. The synthesized nanocrystalline zirconia multistructures exhibit various morphologies such as rod, mortar-pestle with different particle sizes. We have characterized the zirconia multistructures by X-ray diffraction study, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Attenuated total refection infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The thermal stability of as synthesized zirconia multistructures was studied by thermo gravimetric analysis, which shows the high thermal stability of nanocrystalline zirconia around 900 °C temperature.