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- Holm, Alexander, et al.
(author)
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General Self-Assembly Method for Deposition of Graphene Oxide into Uniform Close-Packed Monolayer Films
- 2019
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In: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 35:13, s. 4460-4470
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Depositing a morphologically uniform monolayer film of graphene oxide (GO) single-layer sheets is an important step in the processing of many composites and devices. Conventional Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition is often considered to give the highest degree of morphology control, but film microstructures still vary widely between GO samples. The main challenge is in the sensitive self-assembly of GO samples with different sheet sizes and degrees of oxidation. To overcome this drawback, here, we identify a general method that relies on robust assembly between GO and a cationic surfactant (cationic surfactant-assisted LB). We systematically compared conventional LB and cationic surfactant-assisted LB for three common GO samples of widely different sheet sizes and degrees of oxidation. Although conventional LB may occasionally provide satisfactory film morphology, cationic surfactant-assisted LB is general and allows deposition of films with tunable and uniform morphologies-ranging from close-packed to overlapping single layers-from all three types of GO samples investigated. Because cationic surfactant-assisted LB is robust and general, we expect this method to broaden and facilitate the use of GO in many applications where precise control over film morphology is crucial.
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3. |
- Holm, Alexander, et al.
(author)
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Nanoscale Spatial Distribution of Supported Nanoparticles Controls Activity and Stability in Powder Catalysts for CO Oxidation and Photocatalytic H2 Evolution
- 2020
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 142:34, s. 14481-14494
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Supported metal nanoparticles are essential components of high-performing catalysts, and their structures are intensely researched. In comparison, nanoparticle spatial distribution in powder catalysts is conventionally not quantified, and the influence of this collective property on catalyst performance remains poorly investigated. Here, we demonstrate a general colloidal self-assembly method to control uniformity of nanoparticle spatial distribution on common industrial powder supports. We quantify distributions on the nanoscale using image statistics and show that the type of nanospatial distribution determines not only the stability, but also the activity of heterogeneous catalysts. Widely investigated systems (Au–TiO2 for CO oxidation thermocatalysis and Pd–TiO2 for H2 evolution photocatalysis) were used to showcase the universal importance of nanoparticle spatial organization. Spatially and temporally resolved microkinetic modeling revealed that nonuniformly distributed Au nanoparticles suffer from local depletion of surface oxygen, and therefore lower CO oxidation activity, as compared to uniformly distributed nanoparticles. Nanoparticle spatial distribution also determines the stability of Pd–TiO2 photocatalysts, because nonuniformly distributed nanoparticles sinter while uniformly distributed nanoparticles do not. This work introduces new tools to evaluate and understand catalyst collective (ensemble) properties in powder catalysts, which thereby pave the way to more active and stable heterogeneous catalysts.
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