Current industrial technologies for selective oxidation of propene via a single-stage oxidation process in H2/O2 catalyzed by Au holds excellent prospect of green production of C3H6O. Fundamentals of the molecular mechanisms between catalytic Au and the oxidant remain unclear for decades, however, impeding the development of its rational design and implementation. We explore a multifunctional, highly organized nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) substrate with immobilized Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) both as a catalytic reactor and an ultra-sensitive SERS probe to investigate the molecular level details during Au-catalyzed oxidation of propene in situ. Nanoporous AAO offers excellent thermal stability and enhanced particle coverage density for the immobilized Au NPs within to enable high temperature SERS interrogation, opening up new opportunities in the study of the catalytic reactions. Different size of Au NPs and pores of AAO are explored for improved SERS sensitivity and catalytic activity.

Date Published: 9 June 2017
PDF: 1 pages
Proc. SPIE 10215, Advanced Environmental, Chemical, and Biological Sensing Technologies XIV, 102150H (9 June 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2262922

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10215:
Advanced Environmental, Chemical, and Biological Sensing Technologies XIV
Tuan Vo-Dinh; Robert A. Lieberman, Editor(s)