Alloys at the Nanoscale; The Case of Nanoparticles

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Nanoparticles of noble metals are widely used in modern nanotechnology. Indeed, many applications ranging from catalysis to medical, from optical to magnetic have been described in the literature. The understanding, however, of their properties is far from fully achieved. For instance, Au/Pd has being found to be an excellent hydrogenation catalyst with activity far superior to either metal. Also when gold is present the catalyst becomes resistant to sulfur poisoning. Yet, a clear understanding of these effects is still missing. This project launches a bi-national effort to understand the structure and behavior of bimetallic nanoparticles. The project is conducted by the University of Texas at Austin in the US, and the University of Nuevo Leon (UANL), the Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica (IPYCIT), and the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi (IFUASLP) in Mexico.The aim is to clearly identify, using molecular dynamics, advanced TEM and controlled synthesis, the origin of the outstanding properties of bimetallic particles. The alloys Au-Pd, Au-Ag, Pt-Au, Pt-Ag, Pd-Ag, and Pd-Pt are of special interest. Samples will be prepared in both countries and exchanged for characterization. The molecular dynamics calculations will be performed in the Mexican labs using the supercomputer at UT-Austin, electron microscopy and other characterization will be performed in UT-Austin. The project will provide international experiences to US students who will spend time in the Mexican laboratories. In addition, Mexican students visiting UT-Austin will be linked with US minority undergraduates and provide role models for those students. It is expected that fundamental science outcomes from this effort will assist the development of better catalysts for a hydrogen-fuel era.This award is co-funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.