Plasmonic Catalysis for Controlling Selectivity in the Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde to Propylbenzene Under Visible-Light Irradiation.

The selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, such as cinnamaldehyde (CAL), into value-added aromatic hydrocarbons like propylbenzene (PPR) remains a formidable challenge due to competing CC and CO hydrogenation pathways. Here, a plasmon-enhanced catalytic strategy employing Au@AuPd core-shell nanoparticles supported on silica is reported. The catalyst features a plasmonic Au core and a 1 nm AuPd alloyed shell (25 at% Pd), enabling light-driven modulation of reaction selectivity.

Dynamics of single Au nanoparticles on graphene simultaneously in real- and diffraction space by time-series convergent beam electron diffraction.

Convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED) on two-dimensional materials allows simultaneous recording of the real-space image (tens of nanometers in size) and diffraction pattern of the same sample in one single-shot intensity measurement. In this study, we employ time-series CBED to visualize single Au nanoparticles deposited on graphene. The real-space image of the probed region, with the amount, size, and positions of single Au nanoparticles, is directly observed in the zero-order CBED disk, while the atomic arrangement of the Au nanoparticles is available from the intensity distributions in the higher-order CBED disks.

Au@AuPd Core-Alloyed Shell Nanoparticles for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity and Selectivity under Visible Light Excitation.

Plasmonic catalysis has been employed to enhance molecular transformations under visible light excitation, leveraging the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in plasmonic nanoparticles. While plasmonic catalysis has been employed for accelerating reaction rates, achieving control over the reaction selectivity has remained a challenge. In addition, the incorporation of catalytic components into traditional plasmonic-catalytic antenna-reactor nanoparticles often leads to a decrease in optical absorption.

Ultralow Catalytic Loading for Optimised Electrocatalytic Performance of AuPt Nanoparticles to Produce Hydrogen and Ammonia.

The hydrogen evolution and nitrite reduction reactions are key to producing green hydrogen and ammonia. Antenna-reactor nanoparticles hold promise to improve the performances of these transformations under visible-light excitation, by combining plasmonic and catalytic materials. However, current materials involve compromising either on the catalytic activity or the plasmonic enhancement and also lack control of reaction selectivity.