Applications: Catalysis by Nanostructured Materials

Abstract

The 1999 Nanotechnology Research Directions report included nanoscale catalysis as one aspect of applications of nanotechnology to the energy and chemicals industries [1]. The vision centered on the recognition that “new properties intrinsic to nanostructures” could lead to breakthroughs in catalysis with high selectivity at high yield. An example cited in that report was the observation that, while bulk gold is largely unreactive, highly selective catalytic activity could be observed for gold nanoparticles smaller than about 3–5 nm in diameter [2]. Nanoparticles and nano-structured materials have traditionally played a critical role in the effectiveness of industrial catalysts [3], but the past decade has witnessed significant advances in the control of nanoscale materials and the characterization and in situ probing of catalytic processes at the atomic, active site scale.