Nanoparticle Ex-solution for Supported Catalysts: Materials Design, Mechanism and Future Perspectives

Published in ACS Nano, 2020

Recommended citation: Jun Hyuk Kim‡, Jun Kyu Kim‡, Jiapeng Liu‡, Antonino Curcio, Ji-Soo Jang, Il-Doo Kim, Francesco Ciucci*, and WooChul Jung*. (2021). "Nanoparticle Ex-solution for Supported Catalysts: Materials Design, Mechanism and Future Perspectives." ACS Nano, 15(1), 81-110 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.0c07105

Supported metal catalysts represent one of the major milestones in heterogeneous catalysis. Such catalytic systems are feasible for use in a broad range of applications, including renewable energy devices, sensors, automotive emission control systems, and chemical reformers. The lifetimes of these catalytic platforms depend strongly on the stability of the supported nanoparticles. With this regard, nanoparticles synthesized via ex-solution process emphasize exceptional robustness as they are socketed in the host oxide. Ex-solution refers to a phenomenon which yields selective growth of fine and uniformly distributed metal nanocatalysts on oxide supports upon partial reduction. This type of advanced structural engineering is a game-changer in the field of heterogeneous catalysis with numerous studies showing the benefits of ex-solution process. In this review, we highlight the latest research efforts regarding the origin of the ex-solution phenomenon and the mechanism underpinning particle formation. We also propose research directions to expand the utility and functionality of the current ex-solution techniques.

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Recommended citation: Kim, J.H., Kim, J.K., Liu, J., Curcio, A., Jang, J.S., Kim, I.D., Ciucci, F. and Jung, W., 2020. Nanoparticle Ex-solution for Supported Catalysts: Materials Design, Mechanism and Future Perspectives. ACS Nano., 15(1), 81-110.