Alloyed materials are particularly appealing candidates for new aqueous catalysts because of the synergistic effects that arise from being alloys. Noble metals are particularly appealing because the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of these particles can be tuned in the visible and near infrared region of the spectrum. Organic phase synthesis has demonstrated extraordinary versatility in the generation of highly uniform, morphologically-controlled metal nanoparticles, but a phase transfer is necessary to produce aqueous catalysts. As such, metal nanoparticles were synthesized via alkylamine reduction and transferred to aqueous phase via ligand exchange. A variety of ligands and anchoring groups were used to generate distinct samples. The ligand’s effects on the nanorods’ catalytic activity and stability were investigated using gold-catalyzed and copper-catalyzed model reactions in the absence of irradiation. Photocatalysis by irradiation of these particles at their LSPR was also demonstrated using the same model reactions. The underlying mechanisms were further investigated.

Ligand effects on the aqueous plasmonic catalysis by alloyed gold-copper nanorods

249th National Meeting (2015)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.