S. Mostafa

Shape-Dependent Catalytic Properties of Pt Nanoparticles

Tailoring the chemical reactivity of nanomaterials at the atomic level is one of the most important challenges in catalysis research. In order to achieve this elusive goal, fundamental understanding of the geometric and electronic structure of these complex systems at the atomic level must be obtained. This article reports the influence of the nanoparticle shape on the reactivity of Pt nanocatalysts supported on γ-Al(2)O(3). Nanoparticles with analogous average size distributions (∼0.8-1 nm), but with different shapes, synthesized by inverse micelle encapsulation, were found to display distinct reactivities for the oxidation of 2-propanol. A correlation between the number of undercoordinated atoms at the nanoparticle surface and the onset temperature for 2-propanol oxidation was observed, demonstrating that catalytic properties can be controlled through shape-selective synthesis.

Solving the Structure of Size-Selected Pt Nanocatalysts Synthesized by Inverse Micelle Encapsulation

The structure, size, and shape of gamma-Al(2)O(3)-supported Pt nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by inverse micelle encapsulation have been resolved via a synergistic combination of imaging and spectroscopic tools. It is shown that this synthesis method leads to 3D NP shapes even for subnanometer clusters, in contrast to the raft-like structures obtained for the same systems via traditional deposition-precipitation methods. Furthermore, a high degree of atomic ordering is observed for the micellar NPs in H(2) atmosphere at all sizes studied, possibly due to H-induced surface reconstruction in these high surface area clusters. Our findings demonstrate that the influence of NP/support interactions on NP structure can be diminished in favor of NP/adsorbate interactions when NP catalysts are prepared by micelle encapsulation methods.

Electronic properties and charge transfer phenomena in Pt nanoparticles on γ-Al2O3: size, shape, support, and adsorbate effects.

This study presents a systematic detailed experimental and theoretical investigation of the electronic properties of size-controlled free and γ-Al(2)O(3)-supported Pt nanoparticles (NPs) and their evolution with decreasing NP size and adsorbate (H(2)) coverage. A combination of in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed changes in the electronic characteristics of the NPs due to size, shape, NP-adsorbate (H(2)) and NP-support interactions. A correlation between the NP size, number of surface atoms and coordination of such atoms, and the maximum hydrogen coverage stabilized at a given temperature is established, with H/Pt ratios exceeding the 1 : 1 ratio previously reported for bulk Pt surfaces.

Structure, Chemical Composition, And Reactivity Correlations during the In Situ Oxidation of 2-Propanol

Unraveling the complex interaction between catalysts and reactants under operando conditions is a key step toward gaining fundamental insight in catalysis. We report the evolution of the structure and chemical composition of size-selected micellar Pt nanoparticles (∼1 nm) supported on nanocrystalline γ-Al(2)O(3) during the catalytic oxidation of 2-propanol using X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy. Platinum oxides were found to be the active species for the partial oxidation of 2-propanol (<140 °C), while the complete oxidation (>140 °C) is initially catalyzed by oxygen-covered metallic Pt nanoparticles, which were found to regrow a thin surface oxide layer above 200 °C. The intermediate reaction regime, where the partial and complete oxidation pathways coexist, is characterized by the decomposition of the Pt oxide species due to the production of reducing intermediates and the blocking of O(2) adsorption sites on the nanoparticle surface. The high catalytic activity and low onset reaction temperature displayed by our small Pt particles for the oxidation of 2-propanol is attributed to the large amount of edge and corner sites available, which facilitate the formation of reactive surface oxides. Our findings highlight the decisive role of the nanoparticle structure and chemical state in oxidation catalytic reactions.

In situ coarsening study of inverse micelle-prepared Pt nanoparticles supported on γ-Al2O3: pretreatment and environmental effects

The thermal stability of inverse micelle prepared Pt nanoparticles (NPs) supported on nanocrystalline γ-Al(2)O(3) was monitored in situ under different chemical environments (H(2), O(2), H(2)O) via extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) and ex situ via scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Drastic differences in the stability of identically synthesized NP samples were observed upon exposure to two different pre-treatments. In particular, exposure to O(2) at 400 °C before high temperature annealing in H(2) (800 °C) was found to result in the stabilization of the inverse micelle prepared Pt NPs, reaching a maximum overall size after moderate coarsening of ∼1 nm. Interestingly, when an analogous sample was pre-treated in H(2) at ∼400 °C, a final size of ∼5 nm was reached at 800 °C. The beneficial role of oxygen in the stabilization of small Pt NPs was also observed in situ during annealing treatments in O(2) at 450 °C for several hours. In particular, while NPs of 0.5 ± 0.1 nm initial average size did not display any significant sintering (0.6 ± 0.2 nm final size), an analogous thermal treatment in hydrogen leads to NP coarsening (1.2 ± 0.3 nm). The same sample pre-dosed and annealed in an atmosphere containing water only displayed moderate sintering (0.8 ± 0.3 nm). Our data suggest that PtO(x) species, possibly modifying the NP/support interface, play a role in the stabilization of small Pt NPs. Our study reveals the enhanced thermal stability of inverse micelle prepared Pt NPs and the importance of the sample pre-treatment and annealing environment in the minimization of undesired sintering processes affecting the catalytic performance of nanosized particles.

Ultra-small and Monodisperse Pt Nanoparticles Supported on Gamma-Al 2 O 3

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) show unusual size-dependent optical, electronic, chemical, and catalytic properties; for example, Au particles on TiO2 are catalytically active for CO oxidation only when the Au NP is ~3 nm [1]. The novel size effects in heterogeneous catalysis must result from the change of atomic and/or electronic structures of supported metal NPs. Hence, an important goal to understanding and controlling heterogeneous catalysis is the ability to synthesis supported metal nanoparticles of a specific size and shape with a very narrow size distribution. Here we report the results of using forefront chemical synthesis methods to create ultra-small Pt NPs supported on gamma alumina and characterized by high-angle annular dark-field imaging (HAADF, or Z-contrast), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) and extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The EXAFS measures the ensemble-average structure of the particles within the entire sample, while TEM measures individual Pt NPs. More than 600 individual Pt NPs were analyzed by HAADF to gain statistically meaningful information on the size distribution.