Organotrialkoxysilane-functionalized mesoporous Pd–Ni nanocatalyst for selective hydrazine decomposition and sensing

Organotrialkoxysilanes, particularly amino-glycidoxy and epoxy-functionalized alkoxysilanes, allow for the controlled synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles and bimetallic nanoparticles; these materials enable a concentration-dependent enhancement in resonance Rayleigh scattering, which may be useful for the selective detection of hydrazine. 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-APTMS)-treated gold cations were converted into gold nanoparticles within a few seconds (< 1 min) in the presence of 3-glycidoxypropylytrimethoxysilane (3-GPTMS). Organotrialkoxysilane-functionalized gold nanoparticles that exhibit an average size of 9 nm or 17 nm were processed and evaluated for synchronous fluorescence-based detection of hydrazine. Organotrialkoxysilane allowed the formation of nickel–palladium bimetallic nanocrystallite-supported mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Organotrialkoxysilane served as a template for the stabilization and formation of bimetallic Pd–Ni nanocrystallites within a mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSNP) support. The as-made heterogeneous support enabled real-time degradation of hydrazine.