Copper oxide subnanoparticles of three specific sizes were synthesized within tree-like structures called dendrimers.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) were used to analyze the synthesized SNPs' structures, and the results were supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The XPS analysis and DFT calculations revealed increasing ionicity of the copper–oxygen (Cu–O) bonds as SNP size decreased. This bond polarization was greater than that seen in bulk Cu–O bonds and the greater polarization was the cause of the enhanced catalytic activity of the CunOx SNPs. Tanabe and the team members observed that the CunOx SNPs sped up the oxidation of the CH3 groups attached to the aromatic ring, thereby forming products. When the CunOx SNP catalyst was not used, no products were formed. The catalyst with the smallest CunOx SNPs, Cu12Ox, had the best catalytic performance and was the longest-lasting. Tanabe explains, "The enhancement of the ionicity of the Cu–O bonds with a decrease in size of the CunOx SNPs enables their better catalytic activity for aromatic hydrocarbon oxidations." Their research supports the contention that there is great potential for using copper oxide SNPs as catalysts in industrial applications. "The catalytic performance and mechanism of these size-controlled synthesized CunOx SNPs would be better than those of noble metal catalysts, which are most commonly used in industry at present," Yamamoto says, hinting at what CunOx SNPs can achieve in the future. If you are looking for high quality, high purity, and cost-effective Copper oxide, or if you require the latest price, please email contact mis-asia.