Outstanding catalytic activity of ultra-pure platinum nanoparticles.
Small (4 nm) nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution, exceptional surface purity, and increased surface order, which exhibits itself as an increased presence of basal crystallographic planes, can be obtained without the use of any surfactant. These nanoparticles can be used in many applications in an as-received state and are threefold more active towards a model catalytic reaction (oxidation of ethylene glycol). Furthermore, the superior properties of this material are interesting not only due to the increase in their intrinsic catalytic activity, but also due to the exceptional surface purity itself. The nanoparticles can be used directly (i.e., as-received, without any cleaning steps) in biomedical applications (i.e., as more efficient drug carriers due to an increased number of adsorption sites) and in energy-harvesting/data-storage devices.
Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw ul. Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw (Poland), Fax: (+48) 22-822-0211 ext. 524.
Aneta
A
Januszewska
Grzegorz
G
Dercz
Justyna
J
Piwowar
Rafal
R
Jurczakowski
Adam
A
Lewera
heterogeneous catalysis; nanoparticles; oxidation; platinum; surface chemistry