Pd local structure and size correlations to the activity of Pd/TiO for photocatalytic reforming of methanol.

The interaction between Pd and TiO2 for promoting photocatalytic activity was investigated by tailoring the size of Pd nanoparticles and monitoring the photocatalytic activity of methanol photo-reforming reaction for hydrogen gas production. We show that at 0.6 wt% Pd loading, the catalyst with highly dispersed nanoparticles obtained at 1 °C temperature exhibits superior photocatalytic activity for hydrogen gas production.

Supported metal nanoparticles with tailored catalytic properties through sol-immobilisation: applications for the hydrogenation of nitrophenols.

The use of sol-immobilisation to prepare supported metal nanoparticles is an area of growing importance in heterogeneous catalysis; it affords greater control of nanoparticle properties compared to conventional catalytic routes e.g. impregnation.

The adsorbed state of a thiol on palladium nanoparticles.

In the present work, a combination of imaging, spectroscopic and computational methods shows that 1-dodecanethiol undergoes S-deprotonation to form 1-dodecanethiolate on the surface of palladium nanoparticles, which then self-assembles into a structure that shows a high degree of order. The alkyl chain is largely in the all-trans conformation, which occurs despite the small size of the nanoparticle, (mean diameter = 3.9 nm).