Chiral nanostructures decorated with platinum nanoparticles for electrocatalytic reactions

• Grant number: 25/01150-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Leandro das Mercês Silva
• Grantee: João Otávio de Ávila Nascimento
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Chiral nanomaterials exhibit various morphological and optical properties that distinguish them from other nanomaterials, such as asymmetry, which enables numerous applications in physical chemistry, electrochemistry, biology, and medicine. Additionally, when metallic nanostructures interact with an electromagnetic field, they exhibit an optical phenomenon known as localized surface plasmon resonance, which induces a collective and coherent oscillation of conduction band electrons in these nanostructures. Plasmon resonance also appears in chiral metallic nanomaterials since structural modifications can alter the electron oscillation mode and, consequently, shift the absorption bands of these nanomaterials to different regions. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) - for which platinum (Pt) is one of the most efficient catalysts - is highly relevant nowadays, presenting itself as a more sustainable alternative in various industrial processes. However, the high cost and low abundance of Pt significantly limit its use in meeting the current high energy demand. This undergraduate research project aims to synthesize a novel nanomaterial consisting of a chiral system with tiny Pt particles on its surface, which could be used as a nanocatalyst for HER. Furthermore, the morphological and optical properties of chiral metallic nanomaterials will be explored using spectrophotometry, microscopy techniques, circular dichroism, and the evaluation of electrocatalytic efficiency using a potentiostat/galvanostat.