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Wednesday, 18th March 2009 (1585 views)

A new breakthrough could enable scientists to design improved nanoparticle catalysts, it has been claimed.

According to Nanowerk News, scientists at Cornell University have devised a way of understanding what governs the reactivity of gold nanoparticles.

Single molecule fluorescence was used to enable researchers to watch nanoparticles react, revealing that each particle changes its catalytic properties depending on the concentration of the substance around it.

"We knew nanoparticle behaviours were different … but just how different they are has been challenging to quantify before now," team leader Peng Chen was quoted as saying.

The breakthrough was welcomed by Robert Rioux of Pennsylvania State University, who told the news source that the study will have "vast implications" on the design of future nanoparticle catalysts.

It was recently announced that gold and nanotechnology can be used to develop nanocups that could be used to produce highly-efficient solar cells.

 

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