Prototype Supported Metal Cluster Catalysts: Ir4 and Ir6

Microenvironment engineering of supported metal nanoparticles for chemoselective hydrogenation

Selective hydrogenation with supported metal catalysts widely used in the production of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals often faces a trade-off between activity and selectivity, mainly due to the inability to adjust one factor of the active sites without affecting other factors. In order to solve this bottleneck problem, the modulation of the microenvironment of active sites has attracted more and more attention, inspired by the collaborative catalytic mode of enzymes. In this perspective, we aim to summarize recent advances in the regulation of the microenvironment surrounding supported metal nanoparticles (NPs) using porous materials enriched with organic functional groups. Insights on how the microenvironment induces the enrichment, oriented adsorption and activation of substrates through non-covalent interaction and thus determines the hydrogenation activity and selectivity will be particularly discussed. Finally, a brief summary will be provided, and challenges together with a perspective in microenvironment engineering will be proposed.

Stability Changes in Iridium Nanoclusters via Monoxide Adsorption: A DFT Study within the van der Waals Corrections

Small iridium nanoclusters are prominent subnanometric systems for catalysis-related applications, mainly because of a large surface-to-volume ratio, noncoalescence feature, and tunable properties, which are completely influenced by the number of atoms, geometry, and molecular interaction with the chemical environment. Herein, we investigate the interaction between Ir_n nanoclusters (n = 2-7) and polluting molecules, CO, NO, and SO, using van der Waals D3 corrected density functional theory calculations. Starting from a representative structural set, we determine the growth pattern of the lowest energy unprotected Ir_n nanoclusters, which is based on open structural motifs, and from the adsorption of a XO (X = C, N, and S) molecule, the preferred high-symmetric adsorption sites were determined, dominated by the onefold top site. For protected systems, 4XO/Ir₄ and 6XO/Ir₆, we found a reduction in the total magnetic moment, while the equilibrium bonds of the nanoclusters expanded (contracted) due to mCO and mNO (mSO) adsorption, with exceptions for systems with large structural distortions (4SO/Ir₄ and 6NO/Ir₆). Meanwhile, the C-O and N-O (S-O) bond strength decreases (increases) following an increase (decrease) in the C-O and N-O (S-O) distances upon adsorption. We show, through energetic analysis, that for the different chemical environments, relative stability changes occur from the most stable unprotected nanoclusters, planar square (Ir₄), and prism (Ir₆) to higher energy isomers. The change in the stability order between the two competing protected systems is feasible if the balance between the interaction energy (additive term) and distortion energies (nonadditive terms) compensates for the relative total energies of the unprotected configurations. For all systems, the interaction energy is the main reason responsible for stability alterations, except for 4SO/Ir₄, where the main contribution is from a small penalty due to Ir₄ distortions upon adsorption, and for 4NO/Ir₄, where the energetic effects from the adsorption do not overcome the difference between the binding energies of the unprotected nanoclusters. Finally, from energy decomposition and Hirshfeld charge analysis, we find a predominant covalent nature of the physical contributions in mOX···Ir_n interactions with a cationic core (Ir_n) and an anionic shell (XO coverage).

Well-Defined Materials for Heterogeneous Catalysis: From Nanoparticles to Isolated Single-Atom Sites

The use of well-defined materials in heterogeneous catalysis will open up numerous new opportunities for the development of advanced catalysts to address the global challenges in energy and the environment. This review surveys the roles of nanoparticles and isolated single atom sites in catalytic reactions. In the second section, the effects of size, shape, and metal-support interactions are discussed for nanostructured catalysts. Case studies are summarized to illustrate the dynamics of structure evolution of well-defined nanoparticles under certain reaction conditions. In the third section, we review the syntheses and catalytic applications of isolated single atomic sites anchored on different types of supports. In the final part, we conclude by highlighting the challenges and opportunities of well-defined materials for catalyst development and gaining a fundamental understanding of their active sites.

Tools for Prescreening the Most Active Sites on Ir and Rh Clusters toward C-H Bond Cleavage of Ethane: NBO Charges and Wiberg Bond Indexes

B3LYP calculations were carried out to study the insertion of iridium (Ir) and rhodium (Rh) clusters into a C-H bond of ethane, which is often the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle of oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane. Our previous research on Ir catalysis correlates the diffusivity of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the Ir clusters and the relative activities of the various catalytic sites. The drawback of this research is that the molecular orbital visualization is qualitative rather than quantitative. Therefore, in this study on C-H bond activation by the Ir and Rh clusters, we conducted analyses of natural bond orbital (NBO) charges and Wiberg bond indexes (WBIs), both of which are not only quantitative but also independent of the basis sets. We found strong correlation between the NBO charges, the WBIs, and the relative activities of the various catalytic sites on the Ir and Rh clusters. Analyses of the NBO charges and the WBIs provide a fast and reliable means of prescreening the most active sites on the Ir and Rh clusters and potentially on other similar transition-metal clusters that activate the C-H bonds of ethane and other light alkanes.

Towards operando computational modeling in heterogeneous catalysis

An increased synergy between experimental and theoretical investigations in heterogeneous catalysis has become apparent during the last decade. Experimental work has extended from ultra-high vacuum and low temperature towards operando conditions. These developments have motivated the computational community to move from standard descriptive computational models, based on inspection of the potential energy surface at 0 K and low reactant concentrations (0 K/UHV model), to more realistic conditions. The transition from 0 K/UHV to operando models has been backed by significant developments in computer hardware and software over the past few decades. New methodological developments, designed to overcome part of the gap between 0 K/UHV and operando conditions, include (i) global optimization techniques, (ii) ab initio constrained thermodynamics, (iii) biased molecular dynamics, (iv) microkinetic models of reaction networks and (v) machine learning approaches. The importance of the transition is highlighted by discussing how the molecular level picture of catalytic sites and the associated reaction mechanisms changes when the chemical environment, pressure and temperature effects are correctly accounted for in molecular simulations. It is the purpose of this review to discuss each method on an equal footing, and to draw connections between methods, particularly where they may be applied in combination.

Carbon nitride supported Fe2 cluster catalysts with superior performance for alkene epoxidation

Sub-nano metal clusters often exhibit unique and unexpected properties, which make them particularly attractive as catalysts. Herein, we report a "precursor-preselected" wet-chemistry strategy to synthesize highly dispersed Fe2 clusters that are supported on mesoporous carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4). The obtained Fe2/mpg-C3N4 sample exhibits superior catalytic performance for the epoxidation of trans-stilbene to trans-stilbene oxide, showing outstanding selectivity of 93% at high conversion of 91%. Molecular oxygen is the only oxidant and no aldehyde is used as co-reagent. Under the same condition, by contrast, iron porphyrin, single-atom Fe, and small Fe nanoparticles (ca. 3 nm) are nearly reactively inert. First-principles calculations reveal that the unique reactivity of the Fe2 clusters originates from the formation of active oxygen species. The general applicability of the synthesis approach is further demonstrated by producing other diatomic clusters like Pd2 and Ir2, which lays the foundation for discovering diatomic cluster catalysts.

Bareversusprotected tetrairidium clusters by density functional theory

The lowest energy configuration of the tetrairidium cluster is a square planar isomer in bare case, while the tetrahedral configuration is assumed in different chemical environments.

Palladium(0) Nanoparticle Formation, Stabilization, and Mechanistic Studies: Pd(acac)₂ as a Preferred Precursor, [Bu₄N]₂HPO₄ Stabilizer, plus the Stoichiometry, Kinetics, and Minimal, Four-Step Mechanism of the Palladium Nanoparticle Formation and Subsequent Agglomeration Reactions

Palladium(0) nanoparticles continue to be important in the field of catalysis. However, and despite the many prior reports of Pd(0)n nanoparticles, missing is a study that reports the kinetically controlled formation of Pd(0)n nanoparticles with the simple stabilizer [Bu4N]2HPO4 in an established, balanced formation reaction where the kinetics and mechanism of the nanoparticle-formation reaction are also provided. It is just such studies that are the focus of the present work. Specifically, the present studies reveal that Pd(acac)2, in the presence of 1 equiv of [Bu4N]2HPO4 as stabilizer in propylene carbonate, serves as a preferred precatalyst for the kinetically controlled nucleation following reduction under 40 ± 1 psig initial H2 pressure at 22.0 ± 0.1 °C to yield 7 ± 2 nm palladium(0) nanoparticles. Studies of the balanced stoichiometry of the Pd(0)n nanoparticle-formation reaction shows that 1.0 Pd(acac)2 consumes 1.0 equiv of H2 and produces 1.0 equiv of Pd(0)n while also releasing 2.0 ± 0.2 equiv of acetylacetone. The inexpensive, readily available HPO4(2-) also proved to be as effective a Pd(0)n nanoparticle stabilizer as the more anionic, sterically larger, "Gold Standard" stabilizer P2W15Nb3O62(9-). The kinetics and associated minimal mechanism of formation of the [Bu4N]2HPO4-stabilized Pd(0)n nanoparticles are also provided, arguably the most novel part of the present studies, specifically the four-step mechanism of nucleation (A → B, rate constant k1), autocatalytic surface growth (A + B → 2B, rate constant k2), bimolecular agglomeration (B + B → C, rate constant k3), and secondary autocatalytic surface growth (A + C → 1.5C, rate constant k4), where A is Pd(acac)2, B represents the growing, smaller Pd(0)n nanoparticles, and C represents the larger, most catalytically active Pd(0)n nanoparticles. Additional details on the mechanism and catalytic properties of the resultant Pd(0)n·HPO4(2-) nanoparticles are provided in this work.

Atomic-Level Mechanisms of Nucleation of Pure Liquid Metals during Rapid Cooling

To obtain a material with the desired performance, the atomic-level mechanisms of nucleation from the liquid to solid phase must be understood. Although this transition has been investigated experimentally and theoretically, its atomic-level mechanisms remain debatable. In this work, the nucleation mechanisms of pure Fe under rapid cooling conditions are investigated. The local atomic packing stability and liquid-to-solid transition-energy pathways of Fe are studied using molecular dynamics simulations and first-principle calculations. The results are expressed as functions of cluster size in units of amorphous clusters (ACs) and body-centered cubic crystalline clusters (BCC-CCs). We found the prototypes of ACs in supercooled liquids and successfully divided these ACs to three categories according to their transition-energy pathways. The information obtained in this study could contribute to our current understanding of the crystallization of metallic melts during rapid cooling.

The Birmingham parallel genetic algorithm and its application to the direct DFT global optimisation of Ir(N) (N = 10-20) clusters

A new open-source parallel genetic algorithm, the Birmingham parallel genetic algorithm, is introduced for the direct density functional theory global optimisation of metallic nanoparticles. The program utilises a pool genetic algorithm methodology for the efficient use of massively parallel computational resources. The scaling capability of the Birmingham parallel genetic algorithm is demonstrated through its application to the global optimisation of iridium clusters with 10 to 20 atoms, a catalytically important system with interesting size-specific effects. This is the first study of its type on Iridium clusters of this size and the parallel algorithm is shown to be capable of scaling beyond previous size restrictions and accurately characterising the structures of these larger system sizes. By globally optimising the system directly at the density functional level of theory, the code captures the cubic structures commonly found in sub-nanometre sized Ir clusters.

The role of Ir4 cluster in enhancing the adsorption of CO2 on selected zeolites - GCMC simulations

We have investigated the adsorption of CO2 molecules inside the EMT, SAO, SBS, SBT and IWS zeolites with respect to the influence of the Ir4 clusters on the adsorption capabilities of these materials. We have determined that the capabilities of CO2 adsorption depend on the combined effect of the framework topology and the position of the Ir4 cluster. Adsorption intensifies despite the fact that a fraction of the pore volume is occupied by the Ir4 cluster, and thus, the adsorption is more intense than that on empty zeolite. The pore topology however is also playing a crucial role in the effect, as in certain cases it allows the CO2 molecules to order in such a way they fill the most pore space.

Size- and support-dependent evolution of the oxidation state and structure by oxidation of subnanometer cobalt clusters

Size-selected subnanometer cobalt clusters with 4, 7, and 27 cobalt atoms supported on amorphous alumina and ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) surfaces were oxidized after exposure to ambient air. Grazing incidence X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (GIXANES) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) were used to characterize the clusters revealed a strong dependency of the oxidation state and structure of the clusters on the surface. A dominant Co(2+) phase was identified in all samples. However, XANES analysis of cobalt clusters on UNCD showed that ∼10% fraction of a Co(0) phase was identified for all three cluster sizes and about 30 and 12% fraction of a Co(3+) phase in 4, 7, and 27 atom clusters, respectively. In the alumina-supported clusters, the dominating Co(2+) component was attributed to a cobalt aluminate, indicative of a very strong binding to the support. NEXAFS showed that in addition to strong binding of the clusters to alumina, their structure to a great extent follows the tetrahedral morphology of the support. All supported clusters were found to be resistant to agglomeration when exposed to reactive gases at elevated temperatures and atmospheric pressure.

Hydrogen activation and metal hydride formation trigger cluster formation from supported iridium complexes

The formation of iridium clusters from supported mononuclear iridium complexes in H(2) at 300 K and 1 bar was investigated by spectroscopy and atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. The first steps of cluster formation from zeolite-supported Ir(C(2)H(4))(2) complexes are triggered by the activation of H(2) and the formation of iridium hydride, accompanied by the breaking of iridium-support bonds. This reactivity can be controlled by the choice of ligands on the iridium, which include the support.