Supported Metal Nanoparticles

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the main synthetic techniques used to prepare supported metal nanoparticles for use in electrolytic cells (primarily fuel cells and electrolyzers). Each method provides a strategy which has the main goal of controlling particle size, alloy composition and catalyst distribution over the support material. As a consequence the reader is presented here with a general overview of the most common synthetic methods. Some of the more established procedures are now used industrially to produce large quantities of materials. This does not mean they are superior to the others, depending on the end application of the catalyst and the instrumentation available, one method may be advantageous over another. Therefore, the reader is advised to consider the intrinsic advantages and disadvantages of each method when selecting which to use. More recently methods have been developed to control structure on an atomic scale by the formation of surface defects such as twins or stacking faults that can lead to dramatic increases in activity. This will be covered in detail elsewhere.