From metal vapor to supported nanoparticles: Recent advances on Platinum-based heterogeneous catalysts obtained by metal vapor synthesis method

The vaporization of transition metals under high vacuum in the presence of weakly stabilizing organic solvents, known as metal vapor synthesis (MVS) technique, allows the synthesis of supported metal catalysts containing highly dispersed metal nanoparticles (NPs). During the last decade, our group reported the potentiality of MVS-derived supported catalysts in selective catalytic transformations [1]. Herein, recent advances on the characterization and catalytic applications of MVS-derived Pt-based heterogeneous catalysts containing size-controlled NPs will be reported and discussed. Particular attention will be devoted to the valorization of biomass-derived secondary raw materials to high added value products by catalytic processes, such as hydrogenolysis or aqueous phase reforming.