Sebastian Horch

Low temperature methane oxidation on differently supported 2 nm Au nanoparticles

Low temperature CH4 oxidation was studied on 2 nm gold nanoparticles supported on various metaloxides. The differences in reaction rates for the different systems suggest that the support material has an effect on the activity. From TEM analysis, we found that the gold particles were stable in size during the reaction. In addition to full oxidation to CO2, traces of C2H6 were detected when Au/TiO2 was used, indicating limited partial CH4 oxidation. TiO2 was found to be the best support for gold nanoparticles both in terms of activity and gold particle stability.

Polycrystalline and single crystal Cu electrodes: influence of experimental conditions on the electrochemical properties in alkaline media

Single and polycrystalline Cu electrodes serve as model systems for the study of the electroreduction of CO2 , CO and nitrate, or for corrosion studies; even so, there are very few reports combining electrochemical measurements with structural characterization. Herein both the electrochemical properties of polycrystalline Cu and single crystal Cu(1 0 0) electrodes in alkaline solutions (0.1 m KOH and 0.1 m NaOH) are investigated. It is demonstrated that the pre-treatment of the electrodes plays a crucial role in determining their electrochemical properties. Scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry are performed on Cu(1 0 0) electrodes prepared under UHV conditions; it is shown that the electrochemical properties of these atomically well-defined electrodes are distinct from electrodes prepared by other methods. Also highlighted is the significant role of residual oxygen and electrolyte convection in influencing the electrochemical properties.