Underpotential Deposition and Related Phenomena at the Nanoscale: Theory and Applications

Macroscopic materials composed by transition metals such as Ag, Au, Cu, Pd, and Pt are ductile, malleable, display excellent electrical and heat conductivity and high optical reflectivity. These properties have allowed these materials to be widely used in several areas, such as electrical contacts and conductors and the catalysis of chemical reactions. When the size of these materials decreases to the nanometric scale, these particles show unique properties, which cannot be observed in macroscopic-sized materials. The number of synthesis methods of these nanomaterials and their new and possible technological applications has increasingly grown during the last decade. This progress has inevitably led to the commercialization of several nanomaterials. For example, Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as a type of antimicrobial reactive of broad spectrum in Medicine, in mass consumer products, in antiseptic aerosols of domestic use, in antimicrobial water filters coatings, etc. [1]. Apart from these commercial applications, nanomaterials are largely used in the field of research, e.g. Plasmonics, Medicine, reactivity, combustion cells, etc. [2, 3].