• nanomaterials
• hydrogen storage
• heterogeneous catalysis
• gold
• silver
• titanium oxide

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have opened new scenarios in the field of catalysis thanks to the appealing features arising at the nanoscale. In this work, the optimization of a new family of Au nanocatalysts is performed, employing as starting material the Passion fruit like NanoArchitectures (NAs). NAs are silica nanocapsule comprising 3 nm ultrasmall AuNPs embedded between two ionic polymers and covered by a mesoporous silica shell. NAs can be used as nanoreactor to sinter NPs and to decompose the polymers in a controlled manner by annealing treatments. On this regard, two new NAs bringing a partial or total bare catalyst surface have been produced, potentially improving the NPs catalytic activity and stability. Furthermore, NAs can be decorated with titanium oxide directly grafted on the shell surface, adding photochemical features. The catalytic activity of NAs optimized in this thesis work has been evaluated on the formic acid decomposition reaction, which is a promising pathway for chemical hydrogen storage technology. Overall, this thesis work paves the way for the development of a new approach to green energy storage and safe delivery.