title: Amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles with center-radially hierarchical mesopores as ideal catalyst carriers.
abstract: Our previously fabricated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles (NPs) with center-radially hierarchical mesopores (NH(2)-HMSNs) were purified by a filtration membrane and used as catalyst carriers in the current article. Noble metal NPs (Au, Pd, Pt and Au & Pt) with small sizes (3-8 nm) were successfully immobilized into the NH(2)-HMSNs via the deposition-precipitation method. These noble metal NPs with readily adjusted small sizes have high density and well-dispersed distribution on the surface of large mesopores of NH(2)-HMSNs. Among them, Au-NH(2)-HMSNs were investigated as the composite catalyst in the catalytic reduction of 2-nitroaniline (2-NA) as a model reaction and exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability. The presence of center-radially large mesopores in the NH(2)-HMSNs may favor the loading of noble metal NPs with high density and well-dispersed distribution on the surface of large mesopores of NH(2)-HMSNs. Metal-NH(2)-HMSNs may be more promising composite catalysts due to their superstructure of center-radially hierarchical mesopores that maybe significantly enhance and harmonize the diffusion of guest molecules of different sizes through the porous matrices.
authors.affiliation: Functional Nanomaterials Laboratory, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (TIPC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongguancundonglu 29, Haidianqu, Beijing, 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Junhui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He