Work

Remarkable Heterogeneous Catalytic Activity of Grain Boundary Enriched Negatively Charged Branched Gold Nanoparticle Toward the Reduction of 4‐Nitrophenol and Hydrogen Peroxide

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study reports the catalytic activity of our synthesized differentially‐branched gold nanoparticles (GNPs), namely spherical (GNP‐50), branched (GNP‐75), and quasi‐branched (GNP‐150) GNPs. By looking toward the dominating role of stacking fault (SF) and grain boundary (GB) defects in catalysis compared to other 2D crystal defects, out of three differentially‐branched and negatively charged GNPs, GNP‐75 with the highest GB density shows the best catalytic activity. We have compared their chemical catalysis efficiency by studying the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol in terms of turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF). The obtained result shows an enhancement in catalytic activity, in terms of both TON and TOF, by sixteen‐fold and four‐fold for GNP‐75 compared to GNP‐50 and GNP‐150, respectively. On the other hand, the superior catalytic activity of GNP‐75 is further established by studying the electrocatalytic reduction of H2O2 and comparing it with GNP‐50 and GNP‐150 in terms of current density and charge transfer resistance. This study uniquely highlights the specific role of GB defect‐induced strain in controlling the heterogeneous catalytic reaction rate.

Source: ChemCatChem

DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202500423

Authors: Sourav Mondal, Subrata Mondal, Sandip Kumar De, Susmita Chakraborty, Dulal Senapati

Institutions: Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Shroff S.R. Rotary Institute of Chemical Technology

Language: English

Topic: Nanomaterials for catalytic reactions

Subfield: Organic Chemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India

Award: G1453053403