The research
showed that the effect is most pronounced for small particles
with around 50
atoms. Image: designed by Sergey Kozlov and Oriol Lamiel.
(December 22, 2015) Whether
it is in catalytic processes, new types of solar cells or advanced electronic
components, nanoparticles are everywhere in modern production and environmental
technologies. Their unique properties ensure efficiency and save resources.
Remarkable properties of nanoparticles often arise from chemical interactions
with the support material on which they are placed. Such interactions change
the electronic structure of the nanoparticle when electrical charge is
exchanged between the particle and the support.
Research groups led by scientists from University of
Barcelona, ICREA Professor Dr. Konstantin Neyman, and
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), Prof. Dr. Jörg
Libuda, have now succeeded in quantifying the charge that is lost by a platinum
nanoparticle when it is deposited onto a typical oxide support. Their work
brings the possibility of designing nanoparticles with tailor-made properties a
step closer.
In order to measure the electrical charge exchanged between
metal particles and supports the international team of researchers from
Germany, Spain, Italy and Czech Republic funded by the European Commission
prepared a clean, atomically well-defined oxide surface, on which platinum
nanoparticles have been placed. Using a highly sensitive detection method at
Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste the researchers were able to quantify the effect
for the first time. Studying particles with various numbers of atoms, from
dozens to several hundreds, they measured the number of electrons transferred
and showed that the effect is most pronounced for small particles with around
50 atoms.