Dynamic Structure of Plasmonic Photocatalysts Based on RhAg Diluted Alloys

The alloying between expensive transition metals and cheaper plasmonic materials has shown increasing interest due to its ability to optimize the use of scarce metals like Rh and enhance catalytic performances through their use as photocatalysts. In this sense, a diluted alloy between Ag and Rh could open new catalytic possibilities. Nevertheless, both components have shown to be immiscible at the bulk scale, with their structure being highly dynamic and dependent on the pretreatment conditions. By measuring XAS at the Rh and Ag K edges in combination with DRIFTS spectroscopy, this proposal aims at confirming our preliminary results, which strongly suggest the formation of a RhAg diluted alloy at the nanoscale, and understanding its dynamic structure as a function of temperature, gas composition and concentration of Rh on the catalyst. The experiments will precisely map the structure of the samples and will set the foundations for the rational design of a novel type of RhAg catalysts.