Nanoshaped nanoparticles

Controlling the architecture of catalysts at the nanoscale can offer important tools to govern activity and stability. Despite many of the samples used in heterogeneous catalysis are polycrystalline with rather ill-defined morphologies, experimental and theoretical studies on well-defined nanocrystals have clearly established that the exposure of specific facets can increase/decrease surface reactivity and metal-support interaction (for supported metal nanoparticles), consequently affecting catalytic reactions. We prepare and characterize nanoshaped nanoparticles of inorganic oxides (CeO₂, TiO₂,…) and study how the exposed crystal planes affect catalytic performance in a variety of reactions. We also study the effect of nanoshaped nanoparticles on the release/uptake of oxygen for thermochemical cycles.

Some relevant publications:

Soler, L., Casanovas, A., Ryan, J., Angurell, I., Escudero, C., Pérez, V., Llorca, J. Dynamic reorganization of bimetallic nanoparticles under reaction depending on the support nanoshape: the case of RhPd over ceria nanocubes and nanorods under ethanol steam reforming. ACS Catalysis, 2019, 9, 3641-3647.

Martínez, L., Soler, L., Angurell, I., Llorca, J. Effect of TiO₂ nanoshape on the photoproduction of hydrogen from water-ethanol mixtures over Au₃Cu/TiO₂ prepared with preformed Au-Cu alloy nanoparticles. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2019, 248, 504-514.

Yang, C., Yu, X., Heissler, S., Nefedov, A., Colussi, S., Llorca, J., Trovarelli, A., Wang, Y., Wöll, C. Surface faceting and reconstruction of ceria nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2017, 56, 375-379.

Trovarelli, A., Llorca, J. Ceria Catalysts at Nanoscale: How Do Crystal Shapes Shape Catalysis? ACS Catalysis, 2017, 7, 4716-4735.

Soler, L., Casanovas, A., Urrich, A., Angurell, I., Llorca, J. CO oxidation and COPrOx over preformed Au nanoparticles supported over nanoshaped CeO₂. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2016, 197, 47-55.