Tuning Nanoparticles and Nanostructures to Deliver Unprecedented Catalytic Activity for CO₂ Conversion into Fuels, CO oxidation and Clean Hydrogen Production

Topic:

Our group explores tuning nanoparticles’ sizes, shapes and compositions to achieve the highest catalytic activity. This effort includes novel synthesis of nm and sub-nm metal nanoparticles coupled with studies of their interfacial chemistry in model and applied catalytic systems. Recent discoveries include striking (almost 2 orders of magnitude) improvement of catalytic hydrogen production from water using sub-nm Au nanoparticles. Our collaborative efforts also resulted in development of a new method for nanoparticulate catalyst synthesis utilizing He droplets templating.

Representative Publications:

Haotian Yang, Jiajie Cen, Qiyuan Wu, Claron J. Ridge, Xiao Tong, Chenyu Zhou, Vijayen Veerasamy, Dong Su, C. Michael Lindsay, Mingzhao Liu*, and Alexander Orlov* "Enhancing CO Oxidation Activity via Tuning a Charge Transfer Between Gold Nanoparticles and Supports", J. Phys. Chem. C, 2022, 126, 4836.
[Highlighted as cover article]
[Highlighted by SBU newsroom] DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c10072

Qiyuan Wu, Shangmin Xiong, Yan Li, Peichuan Shen, Shen Zhao, Dong Su and Alexander Orlov*, Exceptional activity of sub-nm Pt clusters on CdS for photocatalytic hydrogen production: A combined of experimental and first-principles study, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2015, 5, 2504.[Highlighted as Journal Cover]
DOI: 10.1039/C4CY01563K

Zhao, S., Ramakrishnan, G., Shen, P., Su, D., Orlov, A., "The first experimental demonstration of the beneficial effects of sub-nanometer platinum particles for photocatalysis", Chemical Engineering Journal, 2013, 217, 266–272.

Shen, P., Zhao, S., Su, D., Li, Y., Orlov, A., "Outstanding activity of sub-nm Au clusters for photocatalytic hydrogen production", Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2012, 25, 153-160.

Zhao, S., Su, D., Che, J., Orlov, A. "Photocatalytic properties of TiO2 supported on SBA-15 mesoporous materials with large pores and short channels", Materials Letters, 2011, 65, 3354–3357.

Zhao, S., Ramakrishnan, G., Su, D., Rieger, R., Koller, Orlov, A. "Novel photocatalytic applications of sub-nanometer gold particles for environmental liquid and gas phase reactions", Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2011, 104, 239-244.

Ramakrishnan, G., Zhao, S., Han, W., Orlov, A., "Simultaneous observation of gas phase and surface species in photocatalytic reactions on nanosize Au modified TiO2: The next generation of DRIFTS systems", Chemical Engineering Journal, 2011, 170, 445-450.

Orlov, A., Klinowski, J.K., "Oxidation of VOCs by SBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieves modified with manganese", Chemosphere, 2009, 74, 344-348.