Metallic nanoparticle composites reduction reactions

Fig. 3. Schematic illustration of the synthesis of metal nanoparticles within dendrimer templates. The composites are prepared by mixing of the dendrimer and metal ion, and subsequent chemical reduction. These materials can be immobilized on electrode surfaces where they serve as electrocatalysts or dissolved in essentially any solvent (after appropriate end-group functionalization) as homogeneous catalysts for hydrogenation and other reactions...

In addition to in situ reduction by the CPs, metal nanoparticles can also be synthesized on the surface of the CPs via a reduction process in the presence of other reducing agents. Yan and co-workers prepared PANI/Pt composite nanofibers by reducing a Pt salt with ethylene glycol on the surface of PANI nanofibers [78]. The diameter of PANI nanofibers was about 60 nm, and that of as-synthesized Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs) was only about 1.8 nm as calculated from X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The small size of PtNPs on the CP matrix enhanced the electrocatalytic activity for the methanol oxidation reaction. 

Recently, novel nanomaterials have become a new frontier for SERS experiments, where different metals are collected together to form, for example, bimetallic particles. Thus, the same nanoparticle could be responsible for both SERS effect and catalytic activity. This is the case of the Ag/Pd colloids synthesized by chemical reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) of silver nitrate (AgNOs) and palladium nitrate (Pd(N03)2), with a 96 4 Ag/Pd molar ratio [11]. The silver nanoparticles provide the SERS enhancement for the ligand molecules, while palladium may induce catalytic reactions. Also, in this case, TEM microscopy provides an important help to characterize these composite materials. In Fig. 20.6 TEM images at different magnifications are reported for bimetallic Ag/Pd particles, in comparison with those constituted by pure silver. While these latter present spheroidal shapes, bimetallic particles show more irregularities, due to palladium clusters in contact with the silver core surface. 

After drying and reduction, the Pd-Ag/C catalysts are composed of bimetallic Eilloy nanoparticles ( 3 nm). CO chemisorption coupled to TEM and XRD analysis showed that that, for catalysts 1.5% wt. in each metal, the bulk composition of the alloy is close to 50% in each metal, whereas the surface is 90% in Ag and 10% in Pd [9]. Mass transfer limitations can be detected by testing the same catalyst with various pellet sizes [18]. Indeed, if the reactants diffusion is slow due to small pore sizes, the longer the distance between the pellet surface and the metal particle, the larger the influence of the difiusion rate on the apparent reaction rate. Pd-Ag catalysts with various pellet sizes were thus tested in hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane. Results were compared to those obtained with a Pd-Ag/activated charcoal catalyst. Fig. 4 shows the evolution of the effectiveness factor of the catalysts, i.e. the ratio between the apparent reaction rate and the intrinsic reaction rate, as a function of the pellet size. The intrinsic reaction rate was considered equal to the reaction rate obtained with the smallest pellet size. When rf = 1, no diffusional limitations occur, and the catalyst works in chemical regime. When j < 1, the observed reaction rate is lower than the intrinsic reaction rate due to a slow diffusion of the reactants and products and the catalyst works in diffusional regime [18]. 

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