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In situ quantitative single-molecule study of dynamic catalytic processes in nanoconfinement

Nature Catalysis volume 1, pages 135–140 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Understanding the fundamental catalytic principles when the catalytic centre is confined in nanoscale space that is dimensionally comparable to the reactant molecule is crucial for designing high-performance catalysts. Theoretical studies with simplified model systems and ensemble experimental measurements have shown that chemical reactions in nanoconfined environments are largely different from those in bulk solution. Here, we design a well-defined platform with catalytic centres confined in the end of nanopores with controlled lengths to study the in situ dynamic behaviour of catalytic processes under nanoconfinement at the single-molecule and single-particle level. Variable single molecular mass transport behaviour reveals the heterogeneity of the confined environment in the nanopores. With the capability of decoupling mass transport factors from reaction kinetics in the well-defined platform, we quantitatively uncovered a confinement-induced enhancement in the activity of platinum nanoparticles inside the nanopores. The combination of the unique model catalyst and the single-molecule super-localization imaging technique paves the way to understanding nanoconfinement effects in catalysis.

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Fig. 1: Multi-layer nanocatalysts as a model platform for simultaneously studying mass transport and heterogeneous surface catalysis.
Fig. 2: Diffusion coefficients of resorufin in 120-nm-long nanopores.
Fig. 3: Catalytic activities at the single-molecule, single-particle level with turnover resolution.
Fig. 4: Quantitative comparison of nanoconfinement effects on the catalytic activities between non-confined and mSiO2-confined platinum NPs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (CHE-1609225/1607305).

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  1. Bin Dong and Yuchen Pei contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Bin Dong, Fei Zhao, Kuangcai Chen & Ning Fang

  2. Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, and Ames Laboratory, US Department of Energy, Ames, IA, USA

    Yuchen Pei, Tian Wei Goh, Zhiyuan Qi, Chaoxian Xiao & Wenyu Huang

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Contributions

B.D., Y.P., W.H. and N.F. conceived the idea, designed the experiments and wrote the manuscript. B.D., F.Z., K.C. and N.F. performed the imaging experiments. Y.P., T.W.G., Z.Q., C.X. and W.H. performed the synthesis and characterization of the nanocatalysts.

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Correspondence to Wenyu Huang or Ning Fang.

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Supplementary Methods; Supplementary Tables 1– 2; Supplementary Figures 1–24; Supplementary Notes; Supplementary References

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Dong, B., Pei, Y., Zhao, F. et al. In situ quantitative single-molecule study of dynamic catalytic processes in nanoconfinement. Nat Catal 1, 135–140 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-017-0021-1

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