A monolayer of platinum can be deposited on nanoscopic gold particles prisms to activate and enhance the catalytic properties of the platinum.

It is relatively easy to truncated ditetragonal gold prisms, according to researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory, in Upton, New York, USA. The particles can then act as nanofacet activators of a monolayer of platinum catalyst deposited on the surface of the gold prisms. The seed-mediated method for generating the prisms leads to the formation of nanoparticles with high size and shape monodispersity and allows for easy surfactant removal, all key characteristics of a useful catalyst
activator. Their approach allows them to control the structure and properties of the deposited monolayer.

• Truncated Ditetragonal Gold Prisms as Nanofacet Activators of Catalytic Platinum,
  Fang Lu, Yu Zhang, Lihua Zhang, Yugang Zhang, Jia X. Wang, Radoslav R. Adzic, Eric A. Stach, Oleg Gang
  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011.
  DOI: 10.1021/ja207848e