Enhancing Catalytic Efficiency of Hollow Palladium Nanoparticles by Photothermal Heating of Gold Nanoparticles Added to the Cavity: Palladium–Gold Nanorattles

Hollow nanocatalysts, such as palladium nanoshells, have high catalytic efficiency. Gold nanospheres, which generate photothermal heat when photoexcited, have been synthesized inside palladium nanoshells to form palladium–gold nanorattles (PdAuNRTs). The efficiency of the catalytic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol by borohydride can be enhanced upon optical excitation of the gold nanospheres when using the PdAuNRTs as a catalyst for the reaction. The efficiency of this catalytic process was shown to be sensitive to the relative size of the gold nanosphere and that of the hollow palladium nanocage.