Frontiers and Challenges in Nanoparticle-Mediated Chemical Transformations: Plasmonic Nanostructures, Spectroscopy, and CO2 Reduction

: [COLL] Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

Nanoparticles with well-defined structures are of broad interest in catalyzing various important chemical transformations. Benefiting from their large surface-to-volume ratios, abundant low-coordinated surface atoms and controllable surface energy, nanoparticles have been extensively studied in a broad range of reactions. With the rapid advances in synthesis, an increasing number of nanoparticles with customized sizes, morphologies, surface lattices, chemical compositions and surface ligands are available. Studies on how nanostructures, surface energy and surface ligands impact their catalytic performance become possible in chemical and energy transformations. This symposium focuses on the design of nanomaterials with defined nanostructures to solve the fundamental challenges on the understanding of the synthesisnanostructure- activity correlations of functional nanoparticles. A broad range of topics from synthesis, surface characterization, reaction mechanisms, to theory modeling will be highlighted in this symposium: • Controlled synthesis of catalytically active nanoparticles • Controlled synthesis of catalytically active hybrid nanomaterials • Conversion of CO2, N2 and CH4 • Water splitting using nanoparticles • Assembly of nanomaterials for complex reactions • Plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis • Hot carrier-driven chemical transformations • Eletrocatalysis using defined nanoparticles • The role of surface ligands in tuning reaction pathways • Surface spectroscopy to characterize reaction mechanism • Product selectivity control using nanomaterials • Theory and modeling of reaction mechanism