Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of Gold Intercalated in the Walls of Mesoporous Silica
Published on: July 9, 2015
Metal nanoparticles inside microgel/clay nanohybrids: Synthesis, characterization and catalytic efficiency in
Andrea Contin1, Andrea Biffis, Stefano Sterchele
1Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
Hypothesis:
Laponite nanoclay embedded inside soluble crosslinked copolymers (microgels) may act as cation exchanger allowing loading of the microgels with cationic metal precursors, which upon reduction yield tailored ternary colloidal nanocomposites comprising both nanoclay and metal nanoparticles.
Experiments:
Microgel nanohybrids with variable Laponite nanoclay content were loaded with cationic precursors of different noble metals (Pd, Pt, Au); subsequent reduction by several methods yielded ternary nanocomposites which were extensively characterized. Nanocomposites based on Pd were also tested as catalysts in standard Suzuki and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions.
Findings:
The proposed method for the production of ternary nanocomposite microgels has been validated. The factors influencing the final metal nanoparticle size (nature of the reducing agent, clay content in the microgel) have been determined and rationalized. The resulting Pd-containing ternary nanocomposite microgels are viable catalysts of standard cross coupling reactions in water-rich medium.
More Related Videos
07:47Reverse Microemulsion-mediated Synthesis of Monometallic and Bimetallic Early Transition Metal Carbide and Nitride Nanoparticles
Published on: November 27, 2015
08:19Synthesis, Characterization, and Functionalization of Hybrid Au/CdS and Au/ZnS Core/Shell Nanoparticles
Published on: March 2, 2016