Controlled Nucleation and Overgrowth of Platinum on Silver Nanoparticles

Controlled nucleation and overgrowth of platinum on silver nanoparticles

Traditional catalytic processes are primarily driven by thermal energy derived from fossil fuels, which is not sustainable or energy efficient. An alternative option would be to captivate the energy released from the sun. The conversion of solar energy to chemical energy is an uprising innovation to drive selective chemical processes. The storage of energy in chemical bonds through visible light positively leads to the remission of pollution and overcomes many of the limitations of fossil fuels. Metallic nanoparticles, which exhibit a unique interaction with visible light, can be synthesized with different geometries and optimized optical properties. In this work, we show that bimetallic nanoparticles with engineered photocatalytic and optical properties can be optimized through the control of nanoparticle geometry, rates of metal precursor addition, concentration of reducing agents, and weight loading. These bimetallic nanostructures will be tested for thermal and photothermal reactivity to show that they can be utilized for the efficient conversion of solar energy into chemical bonds.