Ultrasmall Pd and PtPd nanoparticles for highly efficient catalysis directed by predesigned Morchella-inspired...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Synthesizing ultrasmall metal nanoparticles (NPs) for heterogeneous catalysis is challenging due to aggregation and loss of surface activity.
• Bio-inspired designs offer potential solutions for creating stable, highly dispersed NPs.
• The Morchella mushroom's porous structure inspired a novel bio-inspired approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a bio-inspired strategy for synthesizing ultrasmall, highly dispersed metal nanoparticles (NPs).
• To encapsulate platinum-palladium (PtPd) and palladium (Pd) NPs within Morchella-like biological pores (MBP) using surfactin self-assembly.
• To evaluate the catalytic performance and stability of the synthesized NPs for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR).

Main Methods:

• Utilized surfactin self-assembly to create multifunctional Morchella-like biological pore (MBP) nanomaterials (~28 nm).
• Reduced and encapsulated ultrasmall PtPd (~2.90 nm) and Pd (~2.87 nm) NPs within the MBP structure.
• Characterized the synthesized M@MBP NPs and evaluated their performance in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in KOH.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized ultrasmall PtPd and Pd NPs with coordinated sizes and excellent dispersion within MBP.
• The M@MBP NPs demonstrated high catalytic activity and toxicity resistance for EOR.
• Achieved current densities of 3.35 A mg⁻¹ for PtPd@MBP and 2.72 A mg⁻¹ for Pd@MBP NPs.

Conclusions:

• The bio-inspired surfactin self-assembly method provides a mild, controllable, and environmentally friendly route for NP synthesis.
• MBP-encapsulated ultrasmall metal NPs offer a promising platform for advanced applications in catalysis, bioremediation, and drug delivery.
• This approach opens new avenues for designing and preparing highly efficient nanomaterials.