Nanotechnology in Catalysis
Claudio EVANGELISTI
(CNR-ISTM)
Abstract
Catalysis provides sustainable, economical, and efficient ways to convert raw materials into valuable chemicals and fuels; accordingly, it plays a pivotal role to the development of modern society. In particular, nanostructured metal catalysts are often composed of metal nanoparticles dispersed on a rigid support. Their catalytic efficiency and selectivity dramatically depend on the size, shape, and composition of the nanoparticles as well as the support material. The recent progress on general colloidal synthetic routes, that enables fine control of metal nanoparticles at the atomic level, will be highlighted. Structure-dependent contributions on the control of product selectivity and turnover rate in fine chemistry will be also presented.
