Synergy in the Catalytic Activity of Bimetallic Nanoparticles and New Synthetic Methods for the Preparation of Fine Chemicals

Abstract

Metal nanoparticles receive tremendous interest as alternative catalysts in a quest to fill the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis with selective and sophisticated reactions that occur in highly recyclable and scalable processes. In this area of research that is growing rapidly, we would like to focus on bimetallic nanoparticles and on how these particular materials have been used recently as nanocatalysts in fine‐chemicals synthesis and transformations. The synergistic effects observed with these nanocatalysts, either as nanoalloys or core–shell objects, that accounts for their superior activity and efficiency are discussed.

Controllable Catalysis with Nanoparticles: Bimetallic Alloy Systems and Surface Adsorbates

“…[112][113] In addition, to efficiently reuse the bimetallic NPs, the leaching/dissolution problem should be tackled. 41 In particular, bimetallic NPs containing Pd commonly exhibited leaching behavior in catalysis, [114][115] which has also been intensively investigated and well documented in monometallic Pd NPs. [116][117] Continued investigation into specific catalytic mechanisms on NP surfaces, especially in the presence of adsorbates, is another frontier.…”

On Metal Segregation of Bimetallic Nanocatalysts Prepared by a One-Pot Method in Microemulsions

“…The electron interactions between two metal atoms, which are electron-rich, just as the heterometallic bonding interactions change the surface electronic properties of the nanoparticles [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. As a rule, the catalytic behaviour is usually enhanced on bimetallic nanoparticles as compared to monometallic nanoparticles [3,7,[13][14][15][17][18][19][20][21] even at low Rai et al [46] suggest that the synergic cooperation between the two metals is more noticeable in alloyed nanoparticles, due to the higher probability of metal-metal interactions in comparison to core-shell ones.…”

Facile Synthesis of Catalytic AuPd Nanoparticles within Capillary Microreactors Using Polyelectrolyte Multilayers for the Direct Synthesis of H2O2

“…4−7 Alloying of the two constituent metals in a bimetallic system leads to changes in their electronic and geometric properties, giving rise to synergistic effects that are often reflected in terms of enhanced activity and selectivity in catalytic reactions. 8−10 The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) from hydrogen and oxygen is one of the various catalytic reactions where bimetallic nanoparticles have shown tremendous potential. 11,12 This synthesis is highly coveted as it provides a greener, one step alternative to the traditional anthraquinone auto-oxidation process, which is a complex, multistep process with significant waste generation.…”