Chemical Reactions on Nanoparticle Surface are More Complex than Thought
Written by AZoNanoMay 24 2021
A majority of commercially available chemicals are created with the help of catalysts. Generally, such catalysts contain very small metal nanoparticles that are positioned on an oxidic support.
(a) Modern catalysts consist of nanoparticles. (b) A Rhodium tip as a model for a nanoparticle. (c) Tracing a chemical reaction in real time with a field emission microscope. (d) At low temperatures, different facets oscillate in sync. (e) At higher temperatures, synchronicity is broken. Image Credit: Vienna University of Technology.
A catalytic nanoparticle is analogous to a cut diamond, the surface of which contains varied facets that are oriented in various directions. Besides this, the nanoparticle has crystallographically different facets and such facets can have varied chemical characteristics.