Taking the intimidation out of nanocrystal catalyst improvement strategies
Taking the intimidation out of nanocrystal catalyst improvement strategies lead image
The use of nanocrystal catalysts in fossil fuel-free chemical reactions that generate energy has instigated an explosion of research on these materials that can be daunting to sift through. Many reports describe unusual nanostructures and complex combinations of strategies to improve their catalytic activities, making it seem as if there are countless methods and types of nanocrystals.
“Readers become easily frustrated at a first glance of these papers, wondering why such complicated strategies had to take place,” said author Sang Woo Han.
However, by categorizing these methods and their effect on catalytic activity, Whang et al. show that they aren’t actually so different, making them easier to understand and interpret.
Many approaches to improve catalytic activity involve modifying the surface atoms of the nanocrystals. The authors highlight the significance of this surface engineering and sort these strategies into two major categories: controlling atomic arrangement and controlling composition.
The team hopes this review will allow readers to sort through papers from the field more efficiently to find the most suitable strategy for the nanomaterials they are studying.
“Researchers who read this review will gain easier access to the world of nanocatalysts,” Han said. “We want readers to realize that examining a large number of papers for nanocatalysts is actually not a formidable task when they have a sense of the big picture in this field.”
Here, the authors focused on noble metal nanocrystals, but with further study the same surface engineering strategies can be applied to transition metal and nonmetal materials. They believe there is also room to enhance control of surface engineering methods.
Source: “Surface engineering of metallic nanocrystals via atomic structure and composition control for boosting electrocatalysis,” by Youngjoo Whang, Yongmin Kwon, Hojin Ahn, Jong Wook Hong, and Sang Woo Han, Chemical Physics Reviews (2023). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0140691 .
