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Facile approach to synthesize uniform Au@mesoporous SnO2 yolk–shell nanoparticles and their excellent catalytic activity in 4-nitrophenol reduction

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Abstract

Monodispersed and uniform Au@mesoporous SnO2 yolk–shell nanoparticles (Au@mSnO2 yolk–shell NPs) composed of the moveable Au NP cores and mSnO2 shells have been successfully fabricated via a facile and reproducible approach. The outside mSnO2 shells of Au@mSnO2 yolk–shell NPs not only prevent Au NPs from aggregating and corroding by the reaction solution but also allow the Au NPs to contact with reactant molecules easily through the mesoporous channels. The obtained Au@mSnO2 yolk–shell NPs are characterized by means of transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrum, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The synthesized materials exhibit excellent catalytic performance and high stability towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with NaBH4 as a reducing agent, which may be ascribed to their high specific surface area and unique mesoporous structure. Moreover, the synthetic strategy reported in this paper can be extended to fabricate a series of multifunctional noble metal@metal oxide yolk–shell nanocomposite materials with unique properties for various applications.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21173038, 21301027 and 21401013), Natural Science Foundation and Science and Technology Development Planning of Jilin Province (201215003, 201201115, 20130522136JH and 20140520088JH), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-13-0720), and Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20132216120002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry & Environmental Engineering, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130022, People’s Republic of China

    Ya Wang & Tingting Wang

  2. Faculty of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, People’s Republic of China

    Lu Li & Chungang Wang

Authors
  1. Ya Wang
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  2. Lu Li
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  3. Chungang Wang
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  4. Tingting Wang
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Correspondence to Chungang Wang or Tingting Wang.

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Wang, Y., Li, L., Wang, C. et al. Facile approach to synthesize uniform Au@mesoporous SnO2 yolk–shell nanoparticles and their excellent catalytic activity in 4-nitrophenol reduction. J Nanopart Res 18, 2 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-015-3307-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-015-3307-8

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