The accreditors of this session require that you periodically check in to verify that you are still attentive.
Please click the button below to indicate that you are.
Not so noble: Tailoring the reduction potentials of gold nanoparticles by size
At the nanoscale, noble metals like gold have demonstrated remarkable catalytic activity, one notable example being the oxidation of CO by O2. Such efficiency depends on the nanoparticle's elemental composition, morphology, and size, amongst other factors. Therefore, designing better nanocatalysts requires understanding how these physical factors impact their catalytic activity. One way to evaluate the catalytic activity in metallic nanoparticles is through the reduction potential. Here, we provide a thermodynamic approach that establishes the relationship between the reduction potential and size of gold nanoparticles in solution. The results from this work revealed that the reduction potentials decreased as the particle diameter approached a few nanometers. Due to the high curvature, their greater reactivity may stem from a larger number of low-coordinated surface atoms in the small nanoparticles. These findings demonstrate the impacts of size on the reduction potentials and could prove helpful for tailoring the catalytic activity across other more abundant and affordable metal nanocatalysts.
Protein cages such as virus-like particles (VLPs), ferritins, and encapsulins assemble from a distinct number of protein subunits into hollow spherical structures. They have advantageous properties, including high stability, size homogeneity, and the ability to sequester guest cargo…
At the nanoscale, noble metals like gold have demonstrated remarkable catalytic activity, one notable example being the oxidation of CO by O2. Such efficiency depends on the nanoparticle's elemental composition, morphology, and size, amongst other factors…