SMALL: Enhanced Catalytic Activity for Methanol Electro-oxidation
The Nanomaterials research group at nanoGUNE, led by Dr. Mato Knez, in collaboration with scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Plank Institute of Microstructure Physics, describes in a recent article [ X. Tong et al., Small, 8, 22, 3390 (2012)] the results of a collaborative study on the high-precision synthesis of supported catalytic nanoparticles. The article has been featured on the back cover of the journal SMALL.
The authors have utilized atomic layer deposition (ALD) in order to functionalize carbon nanotubes and grow nickel oxide nanoparticles on those in the same process. The synthetic approach resulted in nanoparticles with high crystallinity and uniform dispersion on the carbon nanotube support. The sizes of the nickel oxide nanoparticles could be controlled with very high precision by controlling the number of repeating ALD cycles. The prepared nickel oxide/carbon nanotube hybrid nanostructures show great efficiency for catalytic electro-oxidation of methanol at the same time being remarkably stable against degradation.
Original publication:
Xili Tong, Yong Qin, Xiangyun Guo, Oussama Moutanabbir, Xianyu Ao, Eckhard Pippel, Lianbing Zhang, Mato Knez. “Enhanced Catalytic Activity for Methanol Electro-oxidation of Uniformly Dispersed Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles—Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Materials”, Small 8, 22, 3390-3395 (doi: 10,1002/smll.201200839)
Mato Knez
Nanomaterials Group
CIC nanoGUNE Consolider
Tolosa Hiribidea 76 200018 Donostia – San Sebastian, Spain
m.knez@nanogune.eu
www.nanogune.eu