6 research outputs found
In Situ Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of Ni Nanoparticle Redispersion via the Reduction of Hollow NiO
Oxidation
and reduction cycles are used in the regeneration of
nanoparticle catalysts that have deactivated due to sintering or poisoning.
Nickel oxidation and reduction cycles for the redispersion of nickel
nanoparticles were studied via in situ high angle annular dark field
environmental scanning transmission electron microscopy. Cycling the
Ni/NiO system through successive redox cycles shows that the particles
retain the same general size distributions even though Ostwald ripening
and particle migration and coalescence is occurring. The regeneration
of the smallest nanoparticle sizes, which disappear due to sintering
processes, occur by the ejection of small (2–3 nm) nickel particles
during the reduction of the hollow nickel oxide nanostructures. The
nickel nanoparticles above ∼3.5 nm in size form hollow polycrystalline
nickel oxide nanostructures upon oxidation. Upon reduction, the grains
making up the shell of the hollow nickel oxide reduce separately at
the grains surface and at the grain boundaries between the polycrystalline
grains. The contraction in particle size upon reduction destabilizes
the hollow nanostructure and causes the particle to rearrange and
collapse. As this process occurs, some parts of the material are ejected
from the reducing particle and forms small particles of nickel, which
regenerate the smallest parts of the size distribution. Once the particle
collapses, the nickel rearranges, reforming solid nickel nanoparticles
enclosed by low index facets
Visualizing the Cu/Cu<sub>2</sub>O Interface Transition in Nanoparticles with Environmental Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Understanding the
oxidation and reduction mechanisms of catalytically
active transition metal nanoparticles is important to improve their
application in a variety of chemical processes. In nanocatalysis the
nanoparticles can undergo oxidation or reduction <i>in situ</i>, and thus the redox species are not what are observed before and
after reactions. We have used the novel environmental scanning transmission
electron microscope (ESTEM) with 0.1 nm resolution in systematic studies
of complex dynamic oxidation and reduction mechanisms of copper nanoparticles.
The oxidation of copper has previously been reported to be dependent
on its crystallography and its interaction with the substrate. By
following the dynamic oxidation process <i>in situ</i> in
real time with high-angle annular dark-field imaging in the ESTEM,
we use conditions ideal to track the oxidation front as it progresses
across a copper nanoparticle by following the changes in the atomic
number (<i>Z</i>) contrast with time. The oxidation occurs
via the nucleation of the oxide phase (Cu<sub>2</sub>O) from one area
of the nanoparticle which then progresses unidirectionally across
the particle, with the Cu-to-Cu<sub>2</sub>O interface having a relationship
of Cu{111}//Cu<sub>2</sub>O{111}. The oxidation kinetics are related
to the temperature and oxygen pressure. When the process is reversed
in hydrogen, the reduction process is observed to be similar to the
oxidation, with the same crystallographic relationship between the
two phases. The dynamic observations provide unique insights into
redox mechanisms which are important to understanding and controlling
the oxidation and reduction of copper-based nanoparticles
On the Structural Origin of the Catalytic Properties of Inherently Strained Ultrasmall Decahedral Gold Nanoparticles
A new mechanism for reactivity of multiply twinned gold
nanoparticles
resulting from their inherently strained structure provides a further
explanation of the surprising catalytic activity of small gold nanoparticles.
Atomic defect structural studies of surface strains and quantitative
analysis of atomic column displacements in the decahedral structure
observed by aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy
reveal an average expansion of surface nearest neighbor distances
of 5.6%, with many strained by more than 10%. Density functional theory
calculations of the resulting modified gold <i>d-</i>band
states predict significantly enhanced activity for carbon monoxide
oxidation. The new insights have important implications for the applications
of nanoparticles in chemical process technology, including for heterogeneous
catalysis
On the Structural Origin of the Catalytic Properties of Inherently Strained Ultrasmall Decahedral Gold Nanoparticles
A new mechanism for reactivity of multiply twinned gold
nanoparticles
resulting from their inherently strained structure provides a further
explanation of the surprising catalytic activity of small gold nanoparticles.
Atomic defect structural studies of surface strains and quantitative
analysis of atomic column displacements in the decahedral structure
observed by aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy
reveal an average expansion of surface nearest neighbor distances
of 5.6%, with many strained by more than 10%. Density functional theory
calculations of the resulting modified gold <i>d-</i>band
states predict significantly enhanced activity for carbon monoxide
oxidation. The new insights have important implications for the applications
of nanoparticles in chemical process technology, including for heterogeneous
catalysis
Strain Field in Ultrasmall Gold Nanoparticles Supported on Cerium-Based Mixed Oxides. Key Influence of the Support Redox State
Using a method that combines experimental
and simulated Aberration-Corrected
High Resolution Electron Microscopy images with digital image processing
and structure modeling, strain distribution maps within gold nanoparticles
relevant to real powder type catalysts, i.e., smaller than 3 nm, and
supported on a ceria-based mixed oxide have been determined. The influence
of the reduction state of the support and particle size has been examined.
In this respect, it has been proven that reduction even at low temperatures
induces a much larger compressive strain on the first {111} planes
at the interface. This increase in compression fully explains, in
accordance with previous DFT calculations, the loss of CO adsorption
capacity of the interface area previously reported for Au supported
on ceria-based oxides
Imaging Nanostructural Modifications Induced by Electronic Metal−Support Interaction Effects at Au||Cerium-Based Oxide Nanointerfaces
A variety of advanced (scanning) transmission electron microscopy experiments, carried out in aberration-corrected equipment, provide direct evidence about subtle structural changes taking place at nanometer-sized Au||ceria oxide interfaces, which agrees with the occurrence of charge transfer effects between the reduced support and supported gold nanoparticles suggested by macroscopic techniques. Tighter binding of the gold nanoparticles onto the ceria oxide support when this is reduced is revealed by the structural analysis. This structural modification is accompanied by parallel deactivation of the CO chemisorption capacity of the gold nanoparticles, which is interpreted in exact quantitative terms as due to deactivation of the gold atoms at the perimeter of the Au||cerium oxide interface