Studies on the Morphology Effect on Catalytic Ability of a Single MnO2 Catalyst Particle with a Solid Nanopipette

Investigating the catalytic ability of an individual catalyst particle helps to understand heterogeneity and can provide new insights into the synthesis of high-efficiency catalysts. Solid-state nanopores have become a promising tool for detecting single molecules/particles due to their high temporal and spatial resolution. Here, we report a nanopore-based strategy for the evaluation and comparison of a single MnO2 catalyst particle with different morphologies by monitoring the generated O2 bubbles from the catalytic decomposition of H2O2. The finite element simulation was introduced to account for the flow velocity and bubble-induced current variation in the nanopore. In particular, the differences in catalytic ability of spherical and cubic MnO2 have been studied by calculating the production rate and volume of O2. It demonstrates that the shape of a single MnO2 catalyst particle has a significant effect on its catalytic activity indeed.