The role of nanoparticle shape in plasmon-activated processes was examined using the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura reaction. A series of cubic, icosahedral, and dodecahedral palladium nanoparticles, as well as their mixture in a defined ratio, was evaluated as plasmon-active substrates. As the number of edges and vertices of the nanoobjects in the catalytic system increased, the reaction proceeded more efficiently, giving higher yields of the target product. This effect is attributed to enhanced electric field generation at edges and vertices upon excitation of the surface plasmon. The quantitative predominance of low-coordination sites in plasmonic catalysis offers broad opportunities for developing efficient photocatalysts for energy conversion and chemical transformations.
Daria E. Votkina (Sat,) studied this question.