Nanoporous gold (npAu), formed by the selective dealloying of a gold-silver alloy, has been shown to be a highly effective catalyst for selective oxidation reactions under mild conditions. However, most of the gold is used as support for the porous structure, and so only a small amount of the expensive material is available for catalysis. Bimetallic gold-silver nanoparticles supported on a templated porous metal-oxide platform is a promising catalyst material for selective oxidation reactions. These structures are designed to have high surface area and minimal mass transport limitations, while maintaining structural and catalytic stability. The catalyst nanoparticles are found only at the support-air interface, making the catalytic sites highly available. This enables a higher activity per gram of gold while retaining the high selectivity of npAu. Analysis of the catalytic behavior under a wide variety of conditions, as well as extensive characterization of these catalysts, has been performed. These analyses have enabled greater understanding of the reaction mechanisms at play in these systems, leading to the design of better, more efficient bimetallic catalyst systems. The stability and robust design of these catalyst systems makes them a versatile platform for a wide variety of chemical applications. Pd-Au systems are currently under investigation and appear to be promising catalysts for both selective oxidation and hydrogenation reactions under relatively mild conditions.

Catalytic comparison of nanoporous gold and supported bimetallic gold nanoparticles on a templated nanoporous structure

254th National Meeting (2017)

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