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Synthesis of Bimetallic Pt/Sn-based Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids
Published on: August 23, 2018
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Unlocking synergy in bimetallic catalysts by core-shell design.
Jessi E S van der Hoeven1,2, Jelena Jelic3, Liselotte A Olthof1,2
1Materials Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Nature Materials
|May 7, 2021
Summary
Designing bimetallic gold-palladium (Au-Pd) nanocatalysts with controlled atomic distribution significantly enhances catalytic performance. Au-core Pd-shell nanorods show superior activity and selectivity for butadiene hydrogenation.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Bimetallic catalysts offer enhanced chemical process efficiency over monometallic ones.
- Optimizing bimetallic catalysts traditionally involves compromising metal properties through composition variation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of atomic distribution on bimetallic nanocatalyst performance.
- To achieve synergistic catalytic effects in gold-palladium (Au-Pd) nanocatalysts for selective butadiene hydrogenation.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of single-crystalline Au-core Pd-shell nanorods.
- Evaluation of catalytic activity and selectivity in butadiene hydrogenation.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to rationalize performance.
Main Results:
- Au-core Pd-shell nanorods exhibited up to 50-fold higher activity than alloyed and monometallic counterparts.
- High selectivity was maintained despite the significant increase in activity.
- Catalytic activity showed a dependence on Pd shell thickness, implicating subsurface layers.
Conclusions:
- Controlled atomic arrangement in bimetallic nanocatalysts is crucial for synergistic catalytic performance.
- Subsurface atomic layers significantly influence catalytic properties, not just the surface.
- This study presents a novel structural design strategy for advanced bimetallic catalysts.
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