Controlled Synthesis of Bimetallic Nanomaterials for Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction and Hydrogen Sulfide Detection 116 views

Nanostructured materials offer unprecedented opportunities to control catalytic and sensing properties at the atomic level. This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation into rational design, colloidal synthesis, and functional application of bimetallic nanoparticles for electrocatalysis and chemical sensing. This work aims to bridge fundamental nanoparticles design with properties-driven applications in energy and environmental technologies and offers understanding of structure-performance relationship. Chapter 1 gave an overview of nanoparticles development and introduction of their applications in electrocatalytic nitrate reduction and H2S sensing. Chapter 2 focuses on the theoretical foundations and practical methodologies of colloidal synthesis. These principles are applied to construct well-defined nanostructures including disordered alloys, intermetallic compounds, and Janus-type heterostructures with precise control over size, morphology, composition, and crystal structure. For the better understanding and explanation of structure-performance, powerful characterizations techniques are necessary, which are discussed in chapter 3. Chapter 4 and 5 explores the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia, a reaction of growing interest for sustainable nitrogen cycling. Bimetallic catalysts such as intermetallic B2 CuPd and heterostructure NiAu, NiAg are developed to modulate reaction intermediates adsorption energetics and reaction pathways, achieving enhanced selectivity and activity. Chapter 6 in the dissertation addresses hydrogen sulfide (H2S) sensing using nanomaterial-based chemiresistive sensors. By integrating composite of intermetallic CuAu nanoparticles-single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and interdigitated electrodes (IDEs), H2S sensor with low detection limit and room-temperature operation are demonstrated. The role of nanoscale architecture in gas response is systematically examined. Together, this dissertation provides a unified framework for designing multifunctional bimetallic nanoparticles through colloidal chemistry and illustrates their utility in addressing critical challenges in energy-related electrocatalysis and chemical sensing.

PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)

English

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2025-08-05