Controlled Synthesis of CeONS-Au-CdSQDs Ternary Nanoheterostructure: A Promising Visible Light Responsive Photocatalyst for H Evolution.

With the advancement of promising multifaceted powdered photocatalytic systems, problems related to environmental pollution and energy requirements have been addressed to a significant extent. The major reason for this great achievement lies in the combined effect of both structure modification and integration of different functional materials. Here, we report a ternary hybrid containing wide band gap CeO nanosheets with CdSQDs and Au nanoparticles, incorporated between this type II heterostructure through simple chemical reduction methods.

Achieving nano-gold stability through rational design.

When Au is subdivided to the nanoscale its reactivity changes from an inert nature to one of incredible reactivity which is not replicated by other catalysts. When dispersed onto metal oxides such as TiO, nano-Au has shown high reactivities for a multitude of reduction and oxidation reactions of industrial importance with potential and current uses such as, CO oxidation, NO reduction, purification of hydrogen for fuel cells, water gas shift reactions, abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) as well as pollution and emission control systems such as autocatalysts. However, many industrially important reactions and applications operate under harsh conditions where the catalyst is exposed to high temperatures and further needs to operate for extended periods of time.

Polymer-encapsulated metal nanoparticles: optical, structural, micro-analytical and hydrogenation studies of a composite material.

A single-step synthesis route is described for the preparation of a metal-polymer composite in which palladium acetate and meta-amino benzoic acid were used as the precursors for palladium nanoparticles and poly(meta-amino benzoic acid) (PABA). The palladium nanoparticles were found to be uniformly dispersed and highly stabilized throughout the macromolecule matrix. The resultant composite material was characterized by means of different techniques, such as IR and Raman spectroscopy, which provided information regarding the chemical structure of the polymer, whereas electron microscopy images yielded information regarding the morphology of the composite material and the distribution of the metal particles in the composite material.

Dramatic promotion of gold/titania for CO oxidation by sulfate ions.

The activity of gold/titania catalysts for the room-temperature oxidation of CO can be dramatically enhanced by the addition of sulfate ions to the support; it appears that anion promotion of gold may be a general phenomenon and may be related to the direct modification of active gold sites in the case of sulfate ions, as evidenced by secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Fabrication of a nanostructured gold-polymer composite material.

A facile synthesis route is described for the preparation of a poly-(o-aminophenol)-gold nanoparticle composite material by polymerization of o-aminophenol (AP) monomer using HAuCl(4) as the oxidant. The synthesis was carried out in a methanol medium so that it could serve a dual solvent role, a solvent for both the AP and the water solution of HAuCl(4). It was found that oxidative polymerization of AP leads to the formation of poly-AP with a diameter of 50+/-10nm, while the reduction of AuCl(4) (-) results in the formation of gold nanoparticles ( approximately 2nm).