The Aucore–Agshell and hollow Ag–Au alloy nanostructures significantly improved (∼2 times) the reduction of 1,3-dinitrobenzene relative to the monometallic ones demonstrating the role of the synergistic effect of the Au–Ag interface in catalytic activity.
The present paper reports the oxidative etching of Au nanospheres by an oxidant, KMnO 4 , which resulted in the formation of new particles of different reduced sizes from single starting nanoparticles. The significant blue-shifting (536 ! 527 nm) of the surface plasmon band for Au nanospheres was observed due to their size alterations after oxidative dissolution of Au 0 to Au þ3 . This was supported by the cyclic voltammetry studies, which revealed an anodic peak at À0.90 V in agreement with the standard electrode potential of Au 0 =Au þ3 (À0.96 V). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis showed that the hydrodynamic diameter of Au nanospheres ($41 nm) was decreased from $26 to 4 nm as a function of KMnO 4 concentration, as further evidenced by TEM. This oxidation-driven process resulted in colloids with higher zeta potential, conductance, and enhanced catalytic activity ($2 times) than their bare nanoparticles for the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol attributed to the higher surface area-to-volume ratio.
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