Nano-composition: New synthesis of catalytic nanomaterials

By Christoph Pelzl Researchers at TU Graz describe the effects which occur upon evaporation of vanadium compounds in Chemical Science. Improvements for the development of SCR catalysts may be based on their results. Researchers at the Institute of Experimental Physics at TU Graz have investigated the detailed structure and thermodynamic behaviour of nano-cluster structures since 2012. Very clean nanoparticles of various metals or metal oxides are produced by a so-called "pick-up" technique where helium droplets at a temperature very close to absolute zero are loaded with atoms or molecules from an evaporative source which then agglomerate to form nanoparticles inside the droplets. The team at the Institute of Experimental Physics led by Institute Head Wolfgang Ernst and Andreas Hauser used this method to study vanadium oxides and their clusters. The scientists and their team achieved a breakthrough regarding the structure and thermodynamic properties of vanadium pentoxide. These results contribute to a better understanding of the stability of vanadium oxide nanoparticles that can lead to an improvement in the production of so-called catalytic converters and their application, for example, in industrial plants, power stations and combustion engines.