Remote Optically Controlled Modulation of Catalytic Properties of Nanoparticles through Reconfiguration of the Inorganic/Organic Interface.
We introduce here a concept of remote photoinitiated reconfiguration of ligands adsorbed onto a nanocatalyst surface to enable reversible modulation of the catalytic activity. This is demonstrated by using peptide-ligand-capped Au nanoparticles with a photoswitchable azobenzene unit integrated into the biomolecular ligand. Optical switching of the azobenzene isomerization state drives rearrangement of the ligand layer, substantially changing the accessibility and subsequent catalytic activity of the underlying metal surface. The catalytic activity was probed using 4-nitrophenol reduction as a model reaction, where both the position of the photoswitch in the peptide sequence and its isomerization state affected the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles. Reversible switching of the isomerization state produces reversible changes in catalytic activity via reconfiguration of the biomolecular overlayer. These results provide a pathway to catalytic materials whose activity can be remotely modulated, which could be important for multistep chemical transformations that can be accessed via nanoparticle-based catalytic systems.
Department of Chemistry, University of Miami , 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States.
Randy L
RL
Lawrence
Department of Chemistry, University of Miami , 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States.
Billy
B
Scola
Yue
Y
Li
Chang-Keun
CK
Lim
Yang
Y
Liu
Paras N
PN
Prasad
Mark T
MT
Swihart
Department of Chemistry, University of Miami , 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, Florida 33146, United States.
Marc R
MR
Knecht
Au nanoparticles; biointerface reconfiguration; catalysis; peptides; photoactivated switch