Structure sensitivity of carbon-nitrogen ring opening: impact of platinum particle size from below 1 to 5 nm upon pyrrole hydrogenation product selectivity over monodisperse platinum nanoparticles loaded onto mesoporous silica.

Well-defined platinum nanoparticles between 0.8 and 5.0 nm were prepared using dendrimer and polymer capping agents and supported onto mesoporous SBA-15 silica. Using these model catalysts, pyrrole hydrogenation was demonstrated to be structure sensitive because ring opening occurred more easily over larger particles compared to smaller ones. The phenomenon is caused by surface roughness or electronic effects that change with particle size.