“Naked” nanoparticles are thermodynamically and kinetically unstable in solution. Ligands (surfactants, polymers), which adsorb at a particle’s surface, can be used to stabilize nanoparticles. However, such a mode of stabilization is undesirable for catalytic applications, as the access of reactant molecules to active sites on the particle’s surface is prevented. The catalytic activity and the stability of nanoparticles are usually inversely correlated. In this presentation, we shall describe an example of a bimetallic (PtFe) nanoparticle catalyst stabilized by surface ligands that bind to only one of the metals (Fe). The resulting nanoparticles are exceptionally catalytically active. Furthermore, the chemoselectivity of the catalysis is completely inverted with respect to the parent Pt catalyst.

Surface-bound ligands modulate chemoselectivity and activity of a bimetallic nanoparticle catalyst

249th National Meeting (2015)

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