Intermetallic compounds, used as heterogeneous catalysts, possess two key advantages, structural stability and tunable electronic properties. The use of intermetallic compounds as heterogeneous catalysts could lead not only to enhanced activity and selectivity, but also to the replacement of catalysts based on precious metals. Traditional heterogeneous catalysis by intermetallic compounds is a relatively new and unexplored area. One of the major reasons that intermetallic compounds have not been studied extensively in heterogeneous catalysis is the difficulty in synthesizing them in nanoparticle forms, which maximizes their surface to volume ratio as needed for heterogeneous catalysis. In this work, we develop a new strategy for synthesizing monodisperse intermetallic compound nanoparticles (NPs). The catalytic properties of the intermetallic compound NPs are tested in selected hydrogenation and oxidation reactions.

New method of synthesizing intermetallic nanoparticle catalysts for hydrocarbon conversions

245th National Meeting (2013)

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