Synthesis and catalytic activity of hybrid metal/silicon nanocomposites

• Published in: Physica status solidi. PSS-RRL. Rapid research letters 2008-06, Vol.2 (3), p.132-134
• Main Authors: Polisski, Sergej, Goller, Bernhard, Lapkin, Alexei, Fairclough, Simon, Kovalev, Dmitry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 61.46.Hk; 68.37.Og; 73.20.Mf; 81.07.−b; 82.65.+r
• ISSN: 1862-6254; 1862-6270
• DOI: 10.1002/pssr.200802076

In this Letter we demonstrate that hydrogen‐terminated porous silicon (PSi) layers and powders can serve as highly efficient reductive templates for noble metal salts. The reduction results in metal nanoparticle (NP) formation in the pores of PSi. Gold NP formation has been monitored in‐situ by measuring the plasmon resonance response. Pt NPs, formed in the PSi matrix, were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis. Furthermore, hybrid Pt/PSi nanocomposites exhibit a high catalytic activity for CO oxidation. HRTEM image of a Pt nanoparticle reduced inside the PSi matrix. Platinum lattice fringes d〈111〉 = 2.27 Å can be seen. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) In this Letter we demonstrate that hydrogen‐terminated porous silicon (PSi) layers and powders can serve as highly efficient reductive templates for noble metal salts. The reduction results in metal nanoparticle formation in the size range of 5–8 nm in the PSi matrix. Hybrid Pt/PSi nanocomposites exhibit a high catalytic activity for CO oxidation in microreactors.