Electrochemical responses and electrocatalysis at single Au nanoparticles

Steady-state electrochemical responses are obtained at single Au nanoparticles by using Pt nanoelectrodes and Au single-nanoparticle electrode (SNPE) is constructed by chemically immobilizing a single Au nanoparticle at a Si[O.sub.2]-encapsulated Pt disk nanoelectrode. The studies have shown that the electrocatalytic activity of single Au nanoparticles is measured by using SNPEs and have helped in understanding the structure-function relationship in nanoparticle-based electrocatalysis.