Evolution of gold structure during thermal treatment of Au/FeOx catalysts revealed by aberration-corrected electron microscopy

Functionalisation of alkali-resistant nanoporous glass via Au nanoparticle decoration using alkaline impregnation: catalytic activity for CO removal

The concerted use of nano-metal particles with catalytic functions and nanoporous materials holds promise for effective air purification and gas sensing; however, only a few studies have used porous glasses as supports for Au nanoparticles. Furthermore, Au/nanoporous glasses with activities comparable to that of Au/TiO2, which is a typical Au catalyst, have not been reported to date. This study demonstrates that a nanoporous glass, which is highly acid- and alkali-resistant and chemically stable, can be decorated with Au nanoparticles using an alkali impregnation method. The resulting composite exhibits high catalytic activity in CO oxidation. The catalysts reported herein are as active as Au/TiO2 catalysts per active site. Further optimisation of the pore properties of the glass and sizes of the Au nanoparticles is expected to result in excellent catalytic systems for CO removal and sensing.

Computational screening of chemically active metal center in coordinated dipyridyl tetrazine network

Creation, stabilization, characterization, and control of single transition metal (TM) atoms may lead to significant advancement of the next-generation catalyst. Metal organic network (MON) in which single TM atoms are coordinated and separated by organic ligands is a promising class of material that may serve as a single atom catalyst. Our density functional theory-based calculations of MONs in which dipyridyl tetrazine (DPTZ) ligands coordinate with a TM atom to form linear chains leads to two types of geometries of the chains. Those with V, Cr, Mo, Fe, Co, Pt, or Pd atoms at the coordination center are planar while those with Au, Ag, Cu, or Ni are non-planar. The formation energies of the chains are high (∼2.0-7.9 eV), suggesting that these MON can be stabilized. Moreover, the calculated adsorption energies of CO and O₂on the metal atom at center of the chains with the planar configuration lie in the range 1.0-3.0 eV for V, Cr, Mo, Fe, and Co at the coordination center, paving the way for future studies of CO oxidation on TM-DPTZ chains with the above five atoms at the coordination center.

Understanding and application of metal-support interactions in catalysts for CO-PROX

Preferential oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO-PROX) plays a vital role in H₂ purification in the upstream systems of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for its high efficiency, low cost and practicability. The key to the application of CO-PROX is the design and preparation of catalysts, and the supported metal catalysts have been the mainstay after decades of development. The metal-support interaction (MSI), which acts as a bridge between the design of supported catalysts and atomic-level theoretical research, has triggered increasing attention. There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of the MSI in heterogeneous catalysis. In this review, the impacts of the MSI including strong metal-support interactions and electronic metal-support interactions on the essential characteristics of supported single atom, nanocluster and nanoparticle catalysts, and therefore, on catalytic behaviors were discussed, respectively, primarily focusing on electron transfer, chemical bonding and the encapsulation of active sites induced by the MSI. We also presented an overview of how the MSI can be utilized to rationally design catalysts to meet target requirements such as high activity, selectivity or stability via appropriate selection and modification of support and active species. The perspectives of the future development for comprehensive understanding of the MSI were also proposed.

Confinement of nano-gold in 3D hierarchically structured gadolinium-doped ceria mesocrystal: synergistic effect of chemical composition and structural hierarchy in CO and propane oxidation

Gadolinium-doped ceria hierarchical gold catalyst shows four-fold TOF increase compared to undoped non-hierarchical system, proving the synergistic effect of doping and structural hierarchy in propane oxidation.

Nanoscale engineering of catalytic materials for sustainable technologies

Nanostructured materials of diverse architecture are ubiquitous in industrial catalysis. They offer exciting prospects to tackle various sustainability challenges faced by society. Since the introduction of the concept a century ago, researchers aspire to control the chemical identity, local environment and electronic properties of active sites on catalytic surfaces to optimize their reactivity in given applications. Nowadays, numerous strategies exist to tailor these characteristics with varying levels of atomic precision. Making headway relies upon the existence of analytical approaches able to resolve relevant structural features and remains challenging due to the inherent complexity even of the simplest heterogeneous catalysts, and to dynamic effects often occurring under reaction conditions. Computational methods play a complementary and ever-increasing role in pushing forward the design. Here, we examine how nanoscale engineering can enhance the selectivity and stability of catalysts. We highlight breakthroughs towards their commercialization and identify directions to guide future research and innovation.

High-loading single Pt atom sites [Pt-O(OH) x ] catalyze the CO PROX reaction with high activity and selectivity at mild conditions

The preferential oxidation of CO (PROX) in hydrogen-rich fuel gas streams is an attractive option to remove CO while effectively conserving energy and H2. However, high CO conversion with concomitant high selectivity to CO2 but not H2O is challenging. Here, we report the synthesis of high-loading single Pt atom (2.0 weight %) catalysts with oxygen-bonded alkaline ions that stabilize the cationic Pt. The synthesis is performed in aqueous solution and achieves high Pt atom loadings in a single-step incipient wetness impregnation of alumina or silica. Promisingly, these catalysts have high CO PROX selectivity even at high CO conversion (~99.8% conversion, 70% selectivity at 110°C) and good stability under reaction conditions. These findings pave the way for the design of highly efficient single-atom catalysts, elucidate the role of ─OH species in CO oxidation, and confirm the absence of a support effect for our case.

On the Controlled Loading of Single Platinum Atoms as a Co-Catalyst on TiO2 Anatase for Optimized Photocatalytic H2 Generation

Single-atom (SA) catalysis is a novel frontline in the catalysis field due to the often drastically enhanced specific activity and selectivity of many catalytic reactions. Here, an atomic-scale defect engineering approach to form and control traps for platinum SA sites as co-catalyst for photocatalytic H₂ generation is described. Thin sputtered TiO₂ layers are used as a model photocatalyst, and compared to the more frequently used (001) anatase sheets. To form stable SA platinum, the TiO₂ layers are reduced in Ar/H₂ under different conditions (leading to different but defined Ti³⁺ -O_v surface defects), followed by immersion in a dilute hexachloroplatinic acid solution. HAADF-STEM results show that only on the thin-film substrate can the density of SA sites be successfully controlled by the degree of reduction by annealing. An optimized SA-Pt decoration can enhance the normalized photocatalytic activity of a TiO₂ sputtered sample by 150 times in comparison to a conventional platinum-nanoparticle-decorated TiO₂ surface. HAADF-STEM, XPS, and EPR investigation jointly confirm the atomic nature of the decorated Pt on TiO₂ . Importantly, the density of the relevant surface exposed defect centers-thus the density of Pt-SA sites, which play the key role in photocatalytic activity-can be precisely optimized.

Role of the Support in Gold-Containing Nanoparticles as Heterogeneous Catalysts

In this review, we discuss selected examples from recent literature on the role of the support on directing the nanostructures of Au-based monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. The role of support is then discussed in relation to the catalytic properties of Au-based monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles using different gas phase and liquid phase reactions. The reactions discussed include CO oxidation, aerobic oxidation of monohydric and polyhydric alcohols, selective hydrogenation of alkynes, hydrogenation of nitroaromatics, CO₂ hydrogenation, C–C coupling, and methane oxidation. Only studies where the role of support has been explicitly studied in detail have been selected for discussion. However, the role of support is also examined using examples of reactions involving unsupported metal nanoparticles (i.e., colloidal nanoparticles). It is clear that the support functionality can play a crucial role in tuning the catalytic activity that is observed and that advanced theory and characterization add greatly to our understanding of these fascinating catalysts.

Nanocluster and single-atom catalysts for thermocatalytic conversion of CO and CO2

We highlight different aspects of single-atom and nanocluster catalysts for CO₂ reduction and CO oxidation, including synthesis, dynamic restructuring, and trends in activity and selectivity.

Insight into the Microstructure and Deactivation Effects on Commercial NiMo/γ-Al2O3 Catalyst through Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

Atom-resolved microstructure variations and deactivation effects on the commercial NiMo/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were revealed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (Cs-STEM) equipped with enhanced energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Structural information parallel to and vertical to the electron beam provides definitive insight toward an understanding of structure–activity relations. Under the mild to harsher reaction conditions, “fragment” structures (like metal single atoms, metal clusters, and nanoparticles) of commercial NiMo/γ-Al2O3 catalysts, gradually reduces, while MoS2 nanoslabs get longer and thinner. Such a result about active slabs leads to the reduction in the number of active sites, resulting in a significant decrease in activity. Likewise, the average atomic ratio of promoter Ni and Ni/(Mo + S) ratio of slabs decrease from 2.53% to 0.45% and from 0.0788 to 0.0326, respectively, by means of EDS under the same conditions stated above, reflecting the weakening of the promotional effect. XPS result confirms the existence of NixSy species in deactivated catalysts. This could be ascribed to the Ni segregation from active phase. Furthermore, statistical data give realistic coke behaviors associated with the active metals. With catalytic activity decreasing, the coke on the active metals regions tends to increase faster than that on the support regions. This highlights that the commercial NiMo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst during catalysis is prone to produce more coke on the active metal areas.

Evaluation of spatial and temporal resolution on in situ annealing aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy with proportional-integral-differential controller

The in situ annealing observation in transmission electron microscope (TEM) is one of the effective methods for imaging thermally induced microstructural changes. For applying this dynamical characterization to bulk samples fabricated by ion-milling, electro-polishing or focused ion beam (FIB) mill, it is generally needed to use a heating-pot type system. We here report an initial trial to improve the spatial and temporal resolution during the in-situ annealing observation of bulk samples using a spherical aberration corrected (AC) TEM with a new thermal control unit. The information limit of 1.5 Å and the point resolution of 2.0 Å are achieved under isothermal annealing at 350°C, which is the same resolution at room temperature, and it is affected strongly of sample drift by the temperature variation. The sample is heated at a heating rate of +1.0°C/s, the drift distance observed by a TV readout speed CCD camera is less than 2.0 Å/s.

Tunable reactivity of supported single metal atoms by impurity engineering of the MgO(001) support

The reactivity of single Pd and Au atoms supported by MgO(001) can be tuned by surface doping.

Surface Coordination Chemistry of Metal Nanomaterials

Surface coordination chemistry of nanomaterials deals with the chemistry on how ligands are coordinated on their surface metal atoms and influence their properties at the molecular level. This Perspective demonstrates that there is a strong link between surface coordination chemistry and the shape-controlled synthesis, and many intriguing surface properties of metal nanomaterials. While small adsorbates introduced in the synthesis can control the shapes of metal nanocrystals by minimizing their surface energy via preferential coordination on specific facets, surface ligands properly coordinated on metal nanoparticles readily promote their catalysis via steric interactions and electronic modifications. The difficulty in the research of surface coordination chemistry of nanomaterials mainly lies in the lack of effective tools to characterize their molecular surface coordination structures. Also highlighted are several model material systems that facilitate the characterizations of surface coordination structures, including ultrathin nanostructures, atomically precise metal nanoclusters, and atomically dispersed metal catalysts. With the understanding of surface coordination chemistry, the molecular mechanisms behind various important effects (e.g., promotional effect of surface ligands on catalysis, support effect in supported metal nanocatalysts) of metal nanomaterials are disclosed.

Atomically dispersed supported metal catalysts: perspectives and suggestions for future research

Catalysts consisting of metal atoms that are atomically dispersed on supports are gaining wide attention because of the rapidly developing understanding of their structures and functions and the discovery of new, stable catalysts with new properties.

Population and hierarchy of active species in gold iron oxide catalysts for carbon monoxide oxidation

The identity of active species in supported gold catalysts for low temperature carbon monoxide oxidation remains an unsettled debate. With large amounts of experimental evidence supporting theories of either gold nanoparticles or sub-nm gold species being active, it was recently proposed that a size-dependent activity hierarchy should exist. Here we study the diverging catalytic behaviours after heat treatment of Au/FeOx materials prepared via co-precipitation and deposition precipitation methods. After ruling out any support effects, the gold particle size distributions in different catalysts are quantitatively studied using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). A counting protocol is developed to reveal the true particle size distribution from HAADF-STEM images, which reliably includes all the gold species present. Correlation of the populations of the various gold species present with catalysis results demonstrate that a size-dependent activity hierarchy must exist in the Au/FeOx catalyst.

In Situ Ptychography of Heterogeneous Catalysts using Hard X-Rays: High Resolution Imaging at Ambient Pressure and Elevated Temperature

A new closed cell is presented for in situ X-ray ptychography which allows studies under gas flow and at elevated temperature. In order to gain complementary information by transmission and scanning electron microscopy, the cell makes use of a Protochips E-chipTM which contains a small, thin electron transparent window and allows heating. Two gold-based systems, 50 nm gold particles and nanoporous gold as a relevant catalyst sample, were used for studying the feasibility of the cell. Measurements showing a resolution around 40 nm have been achieved under a flow of synthetic air and during heating up to temperatures of 933 K. An elevated temperature exhibited little influence on image quality and resolution. With this study, the potential of in situ hard X-ray ptychography for investigating annealing processes of real catalyst samples is demonstrated. Furthermore, the possibility to use the same sample holder for ex situ electron microscopy before and after the in situ study underlines the unique possibilities available with this combination of electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy on the same sample.

Influence of gas atmospheres and ceria on the stability of nanoporous gold studied by environmental electron microscopy and in situ ptychography

A novel complementary approach of environmental TEM and in situ hard X-ray ptychography was used to study the thermally induced coarsening of nanoporous gold under different atmospheres, pressures and after ceria deposition.

Uniform 2 nm gold nanoparticles supported on iron oxides as active catalysts for CO oxidation reaction: structure-activity relationship

Uniform Au nanoparticles (∼2 nm) with narrow size-distribution (standard deviation: 0.5-0.6 nm) supported on both hydroxylated (Fe_OH) and dehydrated iron oxide (Fe_O) have been prepared by either deposition-precipitation (DP) or colloidal-deposition (CD) methods. Different structural and textural characterizations were applied to the dried, calcined and used gold-iron oxide samples. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) showed high homogeneity in the supported Au nanoparticles. The ex situ and in situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) characterization monitored the electronic and short-range local structure of active gold species. The synchrotron-based in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), together with the corresponding temperature-programmed reduction by hydrogen (H2-TPR), indicated a structural evolution of the iron-oxide supports, correlating to their reducibility. An inverse order of catalytic activity between DP (Au/Fe_OH < Au/Fe_O) and CD (Au/Fe_OH > Au/Fe_O) was observed. Effective gold-support interaction results in a high activity for gold nanoparticles, locally generated by the sintering of dispersed Au atoms on the oxide support in the DP synthesis, while a hydroxylated surface favors the reactivity of externally introduced Au nanoparticles on Fe_OH support for the CD approach. This work reveals why differences in the synthetic protocol translate to differences in the catalytic performance of Au/FeOx catalysts with very similar structural characteristics in CO oxidation.

Activity of faujasite supported gold monomer towards water gas shift reaction: hybrid density functional theory/molecular mechanics approach

Neutral gold monomer supported on faujasite (Au⁰/FAU) exhibits superior catalytic activity towards water gas shift reaction compared to cationic monomer.

Adsorption of Aun (n = 1–4) clusters on Fe3O4(001) B-termination

The adsorption of Au_n (n = 1–4) clusters on stoichiometric, reduced and hydrated Fe₃O₄(001) B-terminations were studied using the GGA density functional theory including the Hubbard parameter (U) to describe the on-site Coulomb interaction.

Understanding catalyst behavior during in situ heating through simultaneous secondary and transmitted electron imaging

By coupling techniques of simultaneous secondary (SE) and transmitted electron (TE) imaging at high resolution in a modern scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), with the ability to heat specimens using a highly stable MEMS-based heating platform, we obtained synergistic information to clarify the behavior of catalysts during in situ thermal treatments. Au/iron oxide catalyst 'leached' to remove surface Au was heated to temperatures as high as 700°C. The Fe2O3 support particle structure tended to reduce to Fe3O4 and formed surface terraces; the formation, coalescence, and mobility of 1- to 2-nm particles on the terraces were characterized in SE, STEM-ADF, and TEM-BF modes. If combined with simultaneous nanoprobe spectroscopy, this approach will open the door to a new way of studying the kinetics of nano-scaled phenomena.

Gold atoms stabilized on various supports catalyze the water-gas shift reaction

For important chemical reactions that are catalyzed by single-site metal centers, such as the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction that converts carbon monoxide and water to hydrogen and carbon dioxide, atomically dispersed supported metal catalysts offer maximum atom efficiency. Researchers have found that for platinum metal supported on ceria and doped ceria in the automobile exhaust catalyst, atomic Pt-Ox-Ce species are the active WGS reaction sites. More recently, preparations of gold at the nanoscale have shown that this relatively "new material" is an active and often more selective catalyst than platinum for a variety of reactions, including the WGS reaction. The activity of gold is typically attributed to a size effect, while the interface of gold with the support has also been reported as important for oxidation reactions, but exactly how this comes about has not been probed satisfactorily. Typical supported metal catalysts prepared by traditional techniques have a heterogeneous population of particles, nanoclusters, subnanometer species, and isolated atoms/ions on the support surfaces, making the identification of the active sites difficult. Both we and other researchers have clearly shown that gold nanoparticles are spectator species in the WGS reaction. Evidence has now amassed that the gold active site for the WGS reaction is atomic, that is, Au-Ox species catalyze the reaction, similar to Pt-Ox. In this Account, we review the relevant literature to conclude that the intrinsic activity of the Au-Ox(OH)-S site, where S is a support, is the same for any S. The support effect is indirect, through its carrying (or binding) capacity for the active sites. Destabilization of the gold under reducing conditions through the formation of clusters and nanoparticles is accompanied by a measurable activity loss. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the destabilizing effect of different reaction gas mixtures on the gold atom sites and to consider regeneration methods that effectively redisperse the gold clusters into atoms. For gold catalysts, we can remove weakly bound clusters and nanoparticles from certain supports by leaching techniques. Because of this, we can prepare a uniform dispersion of gold atoms/ions strongly bound to the support surface by this two-step (loading followed by leaching) approach. Presently, one-step preparation methods to maximize the number of the single atom sites on various supports need to be developed, specific to the type of the selected support. Often, it will be beneficial to alter the surface properties of the support to enhance metal ion anchoring, for example, by shape and size control of the support or by the use of light-assisted deposition and anchoring of the metal on photoresponsive supports. Because of their importance for practical catalyst development, synthesis methods are discussed at some length in this Account.

Atomically dispersed Au-(OH)x species bound on titania catalyze the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction

We report a new method for stabilizing appreciable loadings (~1 wt %) of isolated gold atoms on titania and show that these catalyze the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction. The method combines a typical gold deposition/precipitation method with UV irradiation of the titania support suspended in ethanol. Dissociation of H2O on the thus-created Au-O-TiO(x) sites is facile. At higher gold loadings, nanoparticles are formed, but they were shown to add no further activity to the atomically bound gold on titania. Removal of this "excess" gold by sodium cyanide leaching leaves the activity intact and the atomically dispersed gold still bound on titania. The new materials may catalyze a number of other reactions that require oxidized active metal sites.

Novel MEMS-based gas-cell/heating specimen holder provides advanced imaging capabilities for in situ reaction studies

In prior research, specimen holders that employ a novel MEMS-based heating technology (Aduro™) provided by Protochips Inc. (Raleigh, NC, USA) have been shown to permit sub-Ångström imaging at elevated temperatures up to 1,000°C during in situ heating experiments in modern aberration-corrected electron microscopes. The Aduro heating devices permit precise control of temperature and have the unique feature of providing both heating and cooling rates of 10⁶°C/s. In the present work, we describe the recent development of a new specimen holder that incorporates the Aduro heating device into a "closed-cell" configuration, designed to function within the narrow (2 mm) objective lens pole piece gap of an aberration-corrected JEOL 2200FS STEM/TEM, and capable of exposing specimens to gases at pressures up to 1 atm. We show the early results of tests of this specimen holder demonstrating imaging at elevated temperatures and at pressures up to a full atmosphere, while retaining the atomic resolution performance of the microscope in high-angle annular dark-field and bright-field imaging modes.

Atomically dispersed supported metal catalysts

Our aim in this review is to assess key recent findings that point to atomically dispersed noble metals as catalytic sites on solid supports, which may be viewed as ligands bonded to the metal. Both zeolites and open metal oxide supports are considered; the former offer the advantages of uniform, crystalline structures to facilitate fundamental understanding, and the latter offer numerous advantages in applications. The notion of strong interactions between metals and supports has resurfaced in the recent literature to explain how subnanometer clusters and even atoms of noble metals such as platinum and gold survive under often harsh reaction conditions on some supports, such as ceria and perovskites. Individual cations of platinum, palladium, rhodium, or other metals anchored to supports through M-O bonds can be formed on these supports in configurations that are stable and catalytically active for several reactions illustrated here, notably, oxidation and reduction. The development of effective synthesis methods and the identification of suitable stabilizers and promoters are expected to lead to the increasing application of atomically dispersed noble metal catalysts for practical processes characterized by efficient resource utilization and cost savings.

Behavior of Au species in Au/Fe2O3 catalysts characterized by novel in situ heating techniques and aberration-corrected STEM imaging

The recent advent of a novel design of in situ heating technology for electron microscopes has permitted unprecedented control of elevated temperature studies of catalytic materials, particularly when coupled with the sub-Angström imaging performance of a modern aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). Using micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS)-based Aduro heating chips from Protochips, Inc. (Raleigh, NC, USA) allows nearly instantaneous heating and cooling of catalyst powders, avoiding effects of temperature ramping as experienced with standard heating stages. The heating technology also provides stable operation limited only by the inherent drift in the microscope stage, thus allowing full image resolution to be achieved even at elevated temperatures. The present study details the use of both the high X-Y spatial resolution in both dark-field and simultaneous bright-field imaging, along with the high resolution in Z (depth sectioning) provided by the large probe incidence semiangle in the aberration-corrected instrument, to characterize the evolution of microstructure in a commercial Au/Fe2O3 water-gas shift catalyst during elevated temperature treatment. The phenomenon of Au diffusion to the surface of hematite support particles to form discrete crystalline Au nanoparticles in the 1-2 nm size range, after a prior leaching treatment to remove surface Au species has been characterized.