title: Revealing the synergetic effects in Ni nanoparticle-carbon nanotube hybrids by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and their application in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane.
abstract: The hybrids of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the supported Ni nanoparticles (NPs) have been studied by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) and tested by the hydrolysis reaction of ammonia borane (AB, NH3BH3). Data clearly showed the existence of a strong interaction between Ni NPs and thin CNTs (C-O-Ni bonds), which favored the tunable (buffer) electronic structure of Ni NPs facilitating the catalytic process. The hydrolysis process of AB confirmed the hypothesis that the hybrids with a strong interfacial interaction would show superior catalytic performance, while the hybrids with a weak interfacial interaction show poor performance. Our results provide a wealth of detailed information regarding the electronic structure of the NP-CNT hybrids and provide guidance towards the rational design of high-performance catalysts for energy applications.
authors.affiliation: Soochow University-Western University Centre for Synchrotron Radiation Research, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials Laboratory (FUNSOM), Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China. jzhong@suda.edu.cn xhsun@suda.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guanqi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tsun-Kong
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Sham
authors.forename: Xuhui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Shuit-Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee