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Halas, Naomi J.

Publications and source records attributed to Halas, Naomi J..

5 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Impact of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy in Catalysis

Catalysis stands as an indispensable cornerstone of modern society, underpinning the production of over 80% of manufactured goods and driving over 90% of industrial chemical processes. As the demand for more efficient and sustainable processes grows, better catalysts are needed. Understanding the working principles of catalysts is key, and over the last 50 years, surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has become essential. Discovered in 1974, SERS has evolved into a mature and powerful analytical tool, transforming the way in which we detect molecules across disciplines. In catalysis, SERS has enabled insights into dynamic surface phenomena, facilitating the monitoring of the catalyst structure, adsorbate interactions, and reaction kinetics at very high spatial and temporal resolutions. This review explores the achievements as well as the future potential of SERS in the field of catalysis and energy conversion, thereby highlighting its role in advancing these critical areas of research.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dynamic Behavior of Platinum Atoms and Clusters in the Native Oxide Layer of Aluminum Nanocrystals

Strong metal–support interactions (SMSIs) are well-known in the field of heterogeneous catalysis to induce the encapsulation of platinum (Pt) group metals by oxide supports through high temperature H 2 reduction. However, demonstrations of SMSI overlayers have largely been limited to reducible oxides, such as TiO 2 and Nb 2 O 5 . In this report we show that the amorphous native surface oxide of plasmonic aluminum nanocrystals (AlNCs) exhibits SMSI-induced encapsulation of Pt following reduction in H 2 in a Pt structure dependent manner. Reductive treatment in H 2 at 300 °C induces the formation of an AlO x SMSI overlayer on Pt clusters, leaving Pt single-atom sites (Ptiso) exposed available for catalysis. The remaining exposed Pt iso species possess a more uniform local coordination environment than has been observed on other forms of Al 2 O 3 , suggesting that the AlO x native oxide of AlNCs presents well-defined anchoring sites for individual Pt atoms. This observation extends our understanding of SMSIs by providing evidence that H 2 -induced encapsulation can occur for a wider variety of materials and should stimulate expanded studies of this effect to include nonreducible oxides with oxygen defects and the presence of disorder. It also suggests that the single-atom sites created in this manner, when combined with the plasmonic properties of the Al nanocrystal core, may allow for site-specific single-atom plasmonic photocatalysis, providing dynamic control over the light-driven reactivity in these systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Ultrafast Electron Dynamics in Single Aluminum Nanostructures

Aluminum nanostructures are a promising alternative material to noble metal nanostructures for several photonic and catalytic applications, but their ultrafast electron dynamics remain elusive. Here in this paper, we combine single-particle transient extinction spectroscopy and parameter-free first-principles calculations to investigate the non-equilibrium carrier dynamics in aluminum nanostructures. Unlike gold nanostructures, we find the sub-picosecond optical response of lithographically fabricated aluminum nanodisks to be more sensitive to the lattice temperature than the electron temperature. We assign the rise in the transient transmission to electron–phonon coupling with a pump-power-independent lifetime of 500 ± 100 fs and theoretically confirm this strong electron–phonon coupling behavior. We also measure electron–phonon lifetimes in chemically synthesized aluminum nanocrystals and find them to be even longer (1.0 ± 0.1 ps) than for the nanodisks. We also observe a rise and decay in the transient transmissions with amplitudes that scale with the surface-to-volume ratio of the aluminum nanodisks, implying a possible hot carrier trapping and detrapping at the native oxide shell–metal core interface.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗