Nanowires are created by nucleation of nanometer‐scaled noble metal particles on microtubules formed from highly ordered protein assemblies. The periodic functional groups of amino acids serve as active sites for nucleation and binding of the metallic nanoparticles to form ordered patterns of particles, which, by further particle growth, generate quasi‐continuous metal coatings (see Figure).
The synthesis of increasingly miniaturized structures using alternative techniques is strongly motivated by future applications in areas such as nanoelectronics. Highly ordered protein assemblies of tubular structure and high geometric aspect ratio are used as bioorganic templates for the bottom-up synthesis of metal nanostructures. When the biotemplate is coupled to an appropriate chemical reaction, metal is generated in situ and deposited along the backbone of the biostructure. Ag/protein structures with different morphologies are produced, from microtubules densely covered with small Ag nanoparticles to continuous Ag nanowires. Our results demonstrate the potential of bioassemblies in general for the fabrication of multidimensional structures with interesting material properties.
The production of hydrogen by the reforming of methanol was studied in a continuously operated
tubular reactor made of the nickel-based alloy Inconel 625. Experiments were performed at
pressures from 25 to 45 MPa and temperatures in the range of 400−600 °C. The concentration
of the aqueous feed varied from 5 to 64 wt % methanol. Residence times under reaction
temperature conditions varied in the range from 3 to 100 s. The main component of the product
gas is hydrogen, with smaller amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane.
Methanol conversion is up to 99.9% without addition of a catalyst. Obviously, the heavy metals
on the inner surface of the reactor influence the composition of the product gas and the conversion
rate. Oxidation of the reactor inner surface before gasification turned out to enhance the reaction
rate and to decrease the carbon monoxide concentration.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.