Gold (Au)- and ceria (CeO2)-based catalysts are amongst the most active catalysts for the gas phase CO oxidation reaction. Nevertheless, nanosized Au and CeO2catalysts may encounter heat-induced sintering in thermochemical catalytic reactions. Herein, we report on the rational one-pot synthesis of ceria-reduced graphene oxide (CeO2-RGO) using a facile ethylenediamine (EDA)-assisted solvothermal method. Standalone RGO and free-standing CeO2were also prepared using the same EDA-assisted method for comparison. We then incorporated Au into the prepared samples by colloidal reduction and evaluated the catalytic activity of the different catalysts for CO oxidation. The RGO-supported CeO2surpassed the free-standing CeO2, exhibiting a 100% CO conversion at 285oC compared to 340oC in the case of CeO2. Interestingly, the RGO-supported Au/CeO2catalysts outperformed the Au/CeO2catalysts and achieved a 100% CO conversion at 76oC compared to 113oC in the case of Au/CeO2. Additionally, the Au/CeO2-RGO catalyst demonstrated remarkable room-temperature activity with simultaneous 72% CO conversion. This outstanding performance was attributed to the unique dispersion and size characteristics of the RGO-supported CeO2and Au catalysts in the ternary Au/CeO2-RGO nanocomposite, as revealed by TEM and XPS, among other techniques.
- Award ID(s):
- 1808383
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10166597
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- MRS Advances
- Volume:
- 5
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 2059-8521
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 523 to 529
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
Abstract -
more » « less
Abstract Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from H2and O2on a Pd‐based catalyst has emerged as a promising route to replace the energy‐consuming, highly inefficient anthraquinone process. However, Pd is also a good catalyst for the decomposition of H2O2, thereby compromising the selectivity toward the desired product. The coupling between the formation and decomposition reactions makes it difficult to single out the most important parameter that controls the selectivity toward direct synthesis of H2O2. Herein, support‐free monometallic Pd nanocrystals with different shapes and surface strains are used to investigate their impacts on the decomposition kinetics of H2O2. The kinetics are analyzed by tracking the concentration of the remaining H2O2using infrared spectroscopy. The data indicates that both surface structure and strain affect the decomposition kinetics of H2O2, but their impacts are inferior to that caused by Br−, a surface capping agent for the Pd{100} facets. The experimental results are consistent with the trend obtained through density functional theory calculations. This work helps shed light on the development of Pd‐based catalysts for the direct synthesis of H2O2by offering strategies to mitigate the decomposition of the desired product.
-
ABSTRACT We report a facile method to fabricate CuNi nano-octahedra and nanocubes using a colloidal synthesis approach. The CuNi nanocrystals terminated with exclusive crystallographic facets were controlled and achieved by a group of synergetic capping ligands in a hot solution system. Specifically, the growth of {111}-bounded CuNi nano-octahedra is derived by a thermodynamic control, whereas the generation of {100}-terminated CuNi nanocubes is steered by a kinetic capping of chloride. Using a reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydride as a model reaction, CuNi nano-octahedra and nanocubes demonstrated a strong facet-dependence due to their different surface energies although both exhibited remarkable catalytic activity with the high rate constant over mass (k/m). A kinetic study indicated that this is a pseudo first-order reaction with an excess of sodium borohydride. CuNi nanocubes as the catalysts showed better catalytic performance (k/m = 385 s -1 •g -1 ) than the CuNi nano-octahedra (k/m = 120 s -1 •g -1 ), indicating that 4-nitrophenol and hydrogen were adsorbed on the {100} facets with their molecules parallel to the surface much easier than those on {111} facets.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract This article describes a systematic study of the oxidative etching and regrowth behaviors of Pd nanocrystals, including single‐crystal cubes bounded by {100} facets, single‐crystal octahedra and tetrahedra enclosed by {111} facets; and multiple‐twinned icosahedra covered by {111} facets and twin boundaries. During etching, Pd atoms are preferentially oxidized and removed from the corners regardless of the type of nanocrystal, and the resultant Pd2+ions are then reduced back to elemental Pd. For cubes and icosahedra, the newly formed Pd atoms are deposited on the {100} facets and twin boundaries, respectively, due to their relatively higher energies. For octahedra and tetrahedra, the Pd atoms self‐nucleate in the solution phase, followed by their growth into small particles. We can control the regrowth rate relative to etching rate by varying the concentration of HCl in the reaction solution. As the concentration of HCl is increased, 18‐nm Pd cubes are transformed into octahedra of 23, 18, and 13 nm, respectively, in edge length. Due to the absence of regrowth, however, Pd octahedra are transformed into truncated octahedra, cuboctahedra, and spheres with decreasing sizes whereas Pd tetrahedra evolve into truncated tetrahedra and spheres. In contrast, Pd icosahedra with twin boundaries on the surface are converted to asymmetric icosahedra, flower‐like icosahedra, and spheres. This work not only advances the understanding of etching and growth behaviors of metal nanocrystals with various shapes and twin structures but also offers an alternative method for controlling their shape and size.
-
Post-synthetic phase transfer ligand exchange has been established as a simple, reliable, and versatile method for the synthesis of chiral, optically active colloidal nanocrystals displaying circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Herein we present a water-free and purification-free cyclohexane → methanol ligand exchange system that led to the synthesis of stable, non-aggregating chiral and fluorescent cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs). Absorption and emission studies revealed that the carboxylate capping ligands can tune the band gap by up to 65 meV as well as control the band gap and deep trap emission pathways. The CD data revealed that the addition of a 2nd stereogenic center did not automatically lead to an increase of the CD anisotropy of QDs, but rather match/mismatch cooperativity effects must be considered in the transfer of the chirality from the capping ligands to the achiral nanocrystals. Variation in position of the functional groups as well as the chemical identity of the functional groups impacted both the shape and anisotropy of the induced CD spectra and revealed the importance of the functional groups’ coordination and polarity on the binding geometry and induced chiroptical properties. Finally, we describe the first example where CD spectra of QDs capped with the same ligand and dissolved in the same solvent displayed very different spectral profiles. This work provides deeper insight into induced CD of QDs and paves the path to rational design of chiral nanomaterials.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1557/adv.2020.25
