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Reshaping of Metal Nanoparticles Under Reaction Conditions
Author(s) -
Zhu Beien,
Meng Jun,
Yuan Wentao,
Zhang Xun,
Yang Hangsheng,
Wang Yong,
Gao Yi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201906799
Subject(s) - nanomaterial based catalyst , nanotechnology , nanoparticle , catalysis , materials science , metal , adsorption , reactivity (psychology) , in situ , transmission electron microscopy , rational design , chemical physics , biochemical engineering , chemistry , medicine , alternative medicine , organic chemistry , pathology , metallurgy , biochemistry , engineering
The shape of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is one of the key factors determining their catalytic reactivity. Recent in situ TEM observations show that dynamic reshaping of metal NPs occurs under the reaction conditions, which becomes a major hurdle for fully understanding catalytic mechanisms at the molecular level. This Minireview provides a summary of the latest progress in characterizing and modeling the equilibrium shape of metal NPs in various reactive environments through the joint effort of state‐of‐the‐art in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy experiments and a newly developed multiscale structure reconstruction model. The quantitative agreement between the experimental observations and theoretical modeling demonstrate that the fundamental mechanism of the reshaping phenomenon is driven by anisotropically changed surface energies under gas adsorption. The predictable reshaping of metal NPs paves the way for the rational design of truly efficient nanocatalysts in real reactions.