Oxide supports with well‐defined shapes enable investigations on the effects of surface structure on metal–support interactions and correlations to catalytic activity and selectivity. Here, a modified atomic layer deposition technique was developed to achieve ultra‐low loadings (8–16 ppm) of Pt on shaped ceria nanocrystals. Using octahedra and cubes, which expose exclusively (111) and (100) surfaces, respectively, the effect of CeO2 surface facet on Pt‐CeO2 interactions under reducing conditions was revealed. Strong electronic interactions result in electron‐deficient Pt species on CeO2 (111) after reduction, which increased the stability of the atomically dispersed Pt. This afforded significantly higher NMR signal enhancement in parahydrogen‐induced polarization experiments compared with the electron‐rich platinum on CeO2 (100), and a factor of two higher pairwise selectivity (6.1 %) in the hydrogenation of propene than any previously reported monometallic heterogeneous Pt catalyst.

Side‐arm hydrogenation (SAH) by homogeneous catalysis has extended the reach of the parahydrogen enhanced NMR technique to key metabolites such as pyruvate. However, homogeneous hydrogenation requires rapid separation of the dissolved catalyst and purification of the hyperpolarised species with a purity sufficient for safe in‐vivo use. An alternate approach is to employ heterogeneous hydrogenation in a continuous‐flow reactor, where separation from the solid catalysts is straightforward. Using a TiO2‐nanorod supported Rh catalyst, we demonstrate continuous‐flow parahydrogen enhanced NMR by heterogeneous hydrogenation of a model SAH precursor, propargyl acetate, at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. Parahydrogen gas was introduced into the flowing solution phase using a novel tube‐in‐tube membrane dissolution device. Without much optimization, proton NMR signal enhancements of up to 297 (relative to the thermal equilibrium signals) at 9.4 Tesla were shown to be feasible on allyl‐acetate at a continuous total yield of 33 %. The results are compared to those obtained with the standard batch‐mode technique of parahydrogen bubbling through a suspension of the same catalyst.

The photoreduction of graphene oxide (GO) using ketyl radicals is demonstrated for the first time. The use of photochemical reduction through ketyl radicals generated by I-2959 or (1-[4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propan-1-one) is interesting because it affords spatial and temporal control of the reduction process. Graphene-metal nanoparticle hybrids of Ag, Au, and Pd were also photochemically fabricated in a one-pot procedure. Comprehensive spectroscopic and imaging techniques were carried out to fully characterize the materials. The nanoparticle hybrids showed promising action for the catalytic degradation of model environmental pollutants, namely, 4-nitrophenol, Rose Bengal, and Methyl Orange. The process described can be extended to polymer nanocomposites that can be photopatterned and could be potentially extended to fabricating plastic electronic devices.

Oxide supports with well‐defined shapes enable investigations on the effects of surface structure on metal–support interactions and correlations to catalytic activity and selectivity. Here, a modified atomic layer deposition technique was developed to achieve ultra‐low loadings (8–16 ppm) of Pt on shaped ceria nanocrystals. Using octahedra and cubes, which expose exclusively (111) and (100) surfaces, respectively, the effect of CeO2 surface facet on Pt‐CeO2 interactions under reducing conditions was revealed. Strong electronic interactions result in electron‐deficient Pt species on CeO2 (111) after reduction, which increased the stability of the atomically dispersed Pt. This afforded significantly higher NMR signal enhancement in parahydrogen‐induced polarization experiments compared with the electron‐rich platinum on CeO2 (100), and a factor of two higher pairwise selectivity (6.1 %) in the hydrogenation of propene than any previously reported monometallic heterogeneous Pt catalyst.