On the interaction of metal nanoparticles with supports

Metal nanoparticles supported on surfaces often undergo sintering even at moderate temperatures. The degree of sintering is typically influenced by the surface chemistry indicating that besides the commonly believed Ostwald ripening also other processes associated with metal surface diffusion are responsible for the nanoparticle size growth. In addition to the deterioration in metal dispersion, carbon supports can show chemical instability leading to their partial degradation in the proximity of the nanoparticles both in reducing and oxidizing environments at elevated temperatures. This work reports a study of Pd, Pt and Ni nanoparticles anchored on carbon (activated carbon, graphite and carbon nanotubes) as well as titania (nanoparticles and microparticles) surfaces frequently applied as catalyst materials in heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalysis, and evaluate the potential events causing metal sintering and degradation of the supports using transmission electron microscopy analysis.