The influence of porosity on nanoparticle formation in hierarchical aluminophosphates

The ability to tailor metal active sites is increasingly important, due to the superior advantages in nanoparticle utilisation in a diverse range of fields. One of the key factors that determines the properties of immobilised nanoparticles is metal-support interactions, thus the nature of the support is crucial for optimising nanoparticle design for a range of catalytic applications. In this work we explore the deposition of gold onto a silicon-doped aluminophosphate, using a variety of known nanoparticle deposition techniques. By comparing the gold particles deposited on a traditional microporous aluminophosphate, with an analogous hierarchical species, containing both micropores and mesopores, we explore the influence of this dual porosity on nanoparticle deposition. We show that the presence of mesopores has limited influence on the nanoparticles properties, but allows the system to maintain porosity post-deposition. This will aid diffusion of reagents through the system, allowing continued access the active sites in hierarchical systems, which offers significant potential in catalytic oxidation reactions.