Synthesis of hybrid nanosheets of graphene oxide, titania and gold and palladium nanoparticles for catalysis

• Grant number: 15/04736-7
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Cooperation agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Pedro Henrique Cury Camargo
• Grantee: Letizia Papa
• Home Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims at the development of hybrid materials comprised of titanium dioxide (TiO2), graphene oxide (GO), and gold and palladium (Au and Pd) nanoparticles. We will especially develop simple, versatile and environment-friendly methods for the production of these hybrids with controlled features, such as size, shape, composition and uniform dispersion of each component. We will focus on the following hybrids materials: GO-M, TiO2-M and GO-TiO2-M (where M=Au, Pd or PdxAuy). We are interested in the application of these hybrid materials in catalysis, in which we will systematically investigate how each physical-chemical parameter that define the hybrid materials affects its properties, that will be compared to the properties of their individual counterparts. In order to exploit the catalytic applications, we will initially employ the reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a model reaction, followed by the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. It is hoped that the results obtained throughout this project may serve as a platform for the design of new hybrid materials composed by TiO2, GO and metallic nanoparticles with controlled characteristics, not only for enhanced catalytic properties, but also with the potential to impact other areas such as plasmonics. (AU)