Designing highly active Unique Hollow@ (Au@Pt) core–shell nanostructure as electro-catalyst for ethanol oxidation reactions

Facile preparation of small-sized gold nanoparticle decorated silica nanocomposites and their morphological changes in catalytic reactions

“…In addition, polystyrene nanospheres were used as sacrificial templates to prepare hollow silica-loaded nanogold catalysts, and the structure showed high catalytic activity for the hydroreduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol [7]. The formation of homogeneous hollow gold-palladium composite nanostructures after dissolving silica for the electrocatalytic reaction of ethanol has also been reported, with a catalytic activity about two times higher than that of commercial platinum/carbon (Pt/C) catalysts [8]. In the study of silica microspheres as core carriers loaded with nanogold, Petit et al [9] investigated the direct loading of nanogold onto a silica shell layer by a residual hydroxyl species, and the nanogold nanoparticles remained stable after roasting in an air atmosphere at 300 °C for 4 h. Matras-Postolek et al used a three-step synthesis method to prepare 5 nm AuNPs modified silica composite structure with a catalytic reaction rate constant k of 8.29 s −1 μmol −1 •ml, which showed good catalytic effect [10].…”