ABSTRACT
Metal nanoparticles are characterized by a high surface-to-volume ratio, which significantly enhances their catalytic properties compared to the metal bulk. Despite their increased catalytic performance, they have no advantages in terms of separation when compared to homogeneous catalysts. Therefore, the use of other heterogeneous materials – e.g., inorganic metal oxides – to support metal nanoparticles and facilitate their separation and reusability has been extensively explored in the last two decades. Although the main role of these supports is to hold the particles in place, they can also play an important function in the catalytic activity of the new material. Thus, materials usually regarded as simple supports can infer other properties to the catalyst such as acidic, electrical or photochemical properties. This chapter focuses on the use of supported metal nanoparticles in catalysis, with an emphasis in photocatalysis, and describes the role that supports can play. The chapter intends to introduce the reader to the use of metal nanoparticles in the field of heterogeneous catalysis giving examples of different materials and catalytic systems. While it is not a comprehensive summary of the current literature, it provides the reader with the essential readings to acquire a basic knowledge in the field of nanocatalysis.
