Propene epoxidation with dioxygen catalyzed by gold clusters

DFT study of the structures and energetics of 98-atom AuPd clusters

The energetics, structures and segregation of 98-atom AuPd nanoclusters are investigated using a genetic algorithm global optimization technique with the Gupta empirical potential (comparing three different potential parameterisations) followed by local minimizations using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. A shell optimization program algorithm is employed in order to study the energetics of the highly symmetric Leary Tetrahedron (LT) structure and optimization of the chemical ordering of a number of structural motifs is carried out using the Basin Hopping Monte Carlo approach. Although one of the empirical potentials is found to favour the LT structure, it is shown that Marks Decahedral and mixed FCC-HCP motifs are lowest in energy at the DFT level.

Ultrafast, 2 min synthesis of monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters (d < 2 nm)

An ultrafast synthesis method is presented for hexanethiolate-coated gold nanoclusters (d < 2 nm, <250 atoms per nanocluster), which takes only 2 min and can be easily reproduced. With two immiscible solvents, gold nanoclusters are separated from the reaction byproducts fast and easily without any need for post-synthesis cleaning.

Atomically dispersed supported metal catalysts

Our aim in this review is to assess key recent findings that point to atomically dispersed noble metals as catalytic sites on solid supports, which may be viewed as ligands bonded to the metal. Both zeolites and open metal oxide supports are considered; the former offer the advantages of uniform, crystalline structures to facilitate fundamental understanding, and the latter offer numerous advantages in applications. The notion of strong interactions between metals and supports has resurfaced in the recent literature to explain how subnanometer clusters and even atoms of noble metals such as platinum and gold survive under often harsh reaction conditions on some supports, such as ceria and perovskites. Individual cations of platinum, palladium, rhodium, or other metals anchored to supports through M-O bonds can be formed on these supports in configurations that are stable and catalytically active for several reactions illustrated here, notably, oxidation and reduction. The development of effective synthesis methods and the identification of suitable stabilizers and promoters are expected to lead to the increasing application of atomically dispersed noble metal catalysts for practical processes characterized by efficient resource utilization and cost savings.

Gold nanoparticle-catalyzed environmentally benign deoxygenation of epoxides to alkenes

We have developed a highly efficient and green catalytic deoxygenation of epoxides to alkenes using gold nanoparticles (NPs) supported on hydrotalcite [HT: Mg(6)Al(2)CO(3)(OH)(16)] (Au/HT) with alcohols, CO/H(2)O or H(2) as the reducing reagent. Various epoxides were selectively converted to the corresponding alkenes. Among the novel metal NPs on HT, Au/HT was found to exhibit outstanding catalytic activity for the deoxygenation reaction. Moreover, Au/HT can be separated from the reaction mixture and reused with retention of its catalytic activity and selectivity. The high catalytic performance of Au/HT was attributed to the selective formation of Au-hydride species by the cooperative effect between Au NPs and HT.

Effect of size of catalytically active phases in the dehydrogenation of alcohols and the challenging selective oxidation of hydrocarbons

The size of the active phase is one of the most important factors in determining the catalytic behaviour of a heterogeneous catalyst. This Feature Article focuses on the size effects in two types of reactions, i.e., the metal nanoparticle-catalysed dehydrogenation of alcohols and the metal oxide nanocluster-catalysed selective oxidation of hydrocarbons (including the selective oxidation of methane and ethane and the epoxidation of propylene). For Pd or Au nanoparticle-catalysed oxidative or non-oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols, the size of metal nanoparticles mainly controls the catalytic activity by affecting the activation of reactants (either alcohol or O(2)). The size of oxidic molybdenum species loaded on SBA-15 determines not only the activity but also the selectivity of oxygenates in the selective oxidation of ethane; highly dispersed molybdenum species are suitable for acetaldehyde formation, while molybdenum oxide nanoparticles exhibit higher formaldehyde selectivity. Cu(II) and Fe(III) isolated on mesoporous silica are highly efficient for the selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde, while the corresponding oxide clusters mainly catalyse the complete oxidation of methane. The lattice oxygen in iron or copper oxide clusters is responsible for the complete oxidation, while the isolated Cu(I) or Fe(II) generated during the reaction can activate molecular oxygen forming active oxygen species for the selective oxidation of methane. Highly dispersed Cu(I) and Fe(II) species also function for the epoxidation of propylene by O(2) and N(2)O, respectively. Alkali metal ions work as promoters for the epoxidation of propylene by enhancing the dispersion of copper or iron species and weakening the acidity.

One step synthesis of the smallest photoluminescent and paramagnetic PVP-protected gold atomic clusters

Gold atomic clusters of only two and three atoms were prepared by a simple electrochemical technique based on the anodic dissolution of a gold electrode in the presence of PVP, and subsequent electroreduction of the Au-PVP complexes. These clusters show stable photoluminescent and magnetic properties, which make them the smallest and most elemental gold (0) building blocks in nature (after atoms) bringing new possibilities to construct novel nano/microstructures with large potential interest in biomedicine, catalysis, and so forth.

Effect of surface chemistry on the stability of gold nanostructures

Understanding the role of surface chemistry in the stability of nanostructured noble-metal materials is important for many technological applications but experimentally difficult to access and thus little understood. To develop a fundamental understanding of the effect of surface chemistry on both the formation and stabilization of self-organized gold nanostructures, we performed a series of controlled-environment annealing experiments on nanoporous gold (np-Au) and ion-bombarded Au(111) single-crystal surfaces. The annealing experiments on np-Au in ambient ozone were carried out to study the effect of adsorbed oxygen under dynamic conditions, whereas the ion-bombarded Au single-crystal surfaces were used as a model system to obtain atomic-scale information. Our results show that adsorbed oxygen stabilizes nanoscale gold structures at low temperatures whereas oxygen-induced mobilization of Au surface atoms seems to accelerate the coarsening under dynamic equilibrium conditions at higher temperatures.