Nanocatalysis has emerged as a field at the interface between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and offers unique solutions to
the demanding requirements for catalyst improvement. Heterogeneous catalysis represents one of the oldest commercial applications of nanoscience and nanoparticles of metals, semiconductors, oxides, and other compounds have been widely used for important chemical reactions. The main focus of this fi eld is the development of well-defined catalysts, which may include both metal nanoparticles and a nanomaterial as the support. These nanocatalysts should display the benefits of both homogenous and heterogeneous catalysts, such as high efficiency and selectivity, stability and easy recovery/recycling. The concept of nanocatalysis is outlined in this book and, in particular, it provides a comprehensive overview of the science of colloidal nanoparticles. A broad range of topics, from the fundamentals to applications in catalysis, are covered, without excluding micelles, nanoparticles in ionic liquids, dendrimers, nanotubes, and nanooxides, as well as modeling, and the characterization of nanocatalysts, making it an indispensable reference for both researchers at universities and
professionals in industry.

Philippe Serp has been a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the Institute National Polytechnique de Toulouse (France) since 2005. His research interests in the Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry include the catalytic preparation of nanostructured catalytic materials,such as nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanowires, and the understanding of homogeneous catalytic reactions, fi elds in which he has published over 120 papers, including 7 review articles, 12 book chapters and 13 patents. He was the recipient of the Catalysis Division of the French Chemical Society Award in 2004, the APDF 'Celestino da Costa/Jean Perrin' award in 2005, and the Industrial Chemistry Division of the French Chemical Society Award in 2012.

Karine Philippot is Directrice de Recherche at CNRS in the Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry at Toulouse (France). Her research interests concern the development of synthetic methods based on organometallic chemistry to prepare metal nanoparticles and nanomaterials displaying well-controlled characteristics (size, composition and shape) and their application in colloidal or supported catalysis. She has published 93 papers including 1 review article, 4 book chapters and 4 patents.