Nanocatalysis

Description
Size-selected metal nanoclusters – Nanocatalysis

The efficiency of room temperature CO oxidation over catalysts prepared with different size gold clusters. Note that activity is observed for clusters as small as Au3, and increases non-monotonically with increasing size. Our results show that the activity is determined by the ability of different size clusters to activate the O2 reactant.

Implications
My group has developed an instrument with unique capabilities to prepare samples by depositing small metal nanoclusters with exactly controlled size and composition. The work is currently focused on catalysis by nanoclusters, and an example of the results is shown in the figure. CO oxidation is used as a simple test reaction, but is important in pollution remediation and fuel cell feed gas clean up.

Research Group Contacts
Prof. Scott L. Anderson, Chemistry

NEXT nano research application: Core/shell nanoparticles?