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Su S, Zhou Y, Xiong L, Jin S, Du Y, Zhu M. Structure-Activity Relationships of the Structural Analogs Au 8Cu 1 and Au 8Ag 1 in the Electrocatalytic CO 2 Reduction Reaction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202404629. [PMID: 38845560 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202404629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Owing to the significant attention directed toward alloy metal nanoclusters, it is crucial to explore the relationship between their structures and their performance during the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) and discover potential synergistic effects for the design of novel functional nanoclusters. However, a lack of suitable analogs makes this investigation challenging. In this study, we synthesized a well-defined pair of structural analogs, [Au8Cu1(SAdm)4(Dppm)3Cl]2+ and [Au8Ag1(SAdm)4(Dppm)3Cl]2+ (Au8Cu1 and Au8Ag1, respectively), and characterized them. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that Au8M1 (M=Cu/Ag) consists of a tetrahedral Au3M1 core capped by three (Dppm)Au staples, one Au2(SR)3 staple, one lone SR ligand, and a terminal Cl ligand. Ag and Cu were doped at the same site in the Au8M1 nanoclusters, which has rarely been reported. Au8Cu1 exhibited a significantly higher CO Faradaic efficiency (FECO; ~82.2 %) during eCO2RR than that of Au8Ag1 (FECO; ~33.1 %). Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that *COOH is the key intermediate in the reduction of CO2 to CO. The formation of *COOH on Au8Cu1 is more thermodynamically stable than on Au8Ag1, and Au8Cu1 shows a smaller *CO formation energy than that on Au8Ag1, which promotes the reduction of CO2. We believe that the structural analogs Au8Cu1 and Au8Ag1 offer a suitable template for the in-depth investigation of structure-property correlations at the atomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangyu Su
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, PR China
| | - Yanting Zhou
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, PR China
| | - Lin Xiong
- School of Food and Chemical Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang, 422000, PR China
| | - Shan Jin
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, PR China
| | - Yuanxin Du
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, PR China
| | - Manzhou Zhu
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, 230601, PR China
- Anhui Tongyuan Environment Energy Saving Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230041, China
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Tang S, Wang E, Wu Y, Song T, Zhou M, Cai X, Gao Y, Ding W, Zhu Y. Diachronic evolvement from tetra-icosahedral to quasi-hexagonal close-packed bimetal clusters. Chem Sci 2024; 15:8372-8379. [PMID: 38846395 PMCID: PMC11151839 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00942h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Here we report a diachronic evolvement from tetra-icosahedral Au30Ag12(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)24 to quasi-hcp (hexagonal close-packed) Au47Ag19(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)32 via a one-step reduction, in which the size/structure conversion of the two clusters is not a typical Oswald growth process, but involves interface shrinking followed by core rearrangement and surface polymerization. Au30Ag12(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)24 has an aesthetic Au18Ag8 kernel that is composed of four interpenetrating Au10Ag3 icosahedra, while Au47Ag19(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CR)32 has a twisted Au19 core capped by a Au12Ag19 shell that are stacked in a layer-by-layer manner with a quasi-hcp pattern. The discovery of the two clusters not only provides further evidence for icosahedral clusters with longer excited-state lifetime compared to hcp-like clusters, but also discloses a double increase in catalytic reactivity for electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol over quasi-hcp clusters in comparison with icosahedral clusters. This work provides the rationale for reversing the bottom-up growth process to remake bimetal clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shisi Tang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210093 China
| | - Endong Wang
- Phonon Science Research Center for Carbon Dioxide, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Yanzhen Wu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China
| | - Tongxin Song
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210093 China
| | - Meng Zhou
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China
| | - Xiao Cai
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210093 China
| | - Yi Gao
- Phonon Science Research Center for Carbon Dioxide, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai 201210 China
| | - Weiping Ding
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210093 China
| | - Yan Zhu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing 210093 China
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Zhou H, Duan T, Lin Z, Yang T, Deng H, Jin S, Pei Y, Zhu M. Total Structure, Structural Transformation and Catalytic Hydrogenation of [Cu 41 (SC 6 H 3 F 2 ) 15 Cl 3 (P(PhF) 3 ) 6 (H) 25 ] 2- Constructed from Twisted Cu 13 Units. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2307085. [PMID: 38064120 PMCID: PMC10870033 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202307085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Herein, a remarkable achievement in the synthesis and characterization of an atomically precise copper-hydride nanocluster, [Cu41 (SC6 H3 F2 )15 Cl3 (P(PhF)3 )6 (H)25 ]2- via a mild one-pot reaction is presented. Through X-ray crystallography analysis, it is revealed that [Cu41 (SC6 H3 F2 )15 Cl3 (P(PhF)3 )6 (H)25 ]2- exhibits a unique shell-core-shell structure. The inner Cu29 kernel is composed of three twisted Cu13 units, connected through Cu4 face sharing. Surrounding the metal core, two Cu6 metal shells, resembling a protective sandwich structure are observed. This arrangement, along with intracluster π···π interactions and intercluster C─H···F─C interactions, contributes to the enhanced stability of [Cu41 (SC6 H3 F2 )15 Cl3 (P(PhF)3 )6 (H)25 ]2- . The presence, number, and location of hydrides within the nanocluster are established through a combination of experimental and density functional theory investigations. Notably, the addition of a phosphine ligand triggers a fascinating nanocluster-to-nanocluster transformation in [Cu41 (SC6 H3 F2 )15 Cl3 (P(PhF)3 )6 (H)25 ]2- , resulting in the generation of two nanoclusters, [Cu14 (SC6 H3 F2 )3 (PPh3 )8 H10 ]+ and [Cu13 (SC6 H3 F2 )3 (P(PhF)3 )7 H10 ]0 . Furthermore, it is demonstrated that [Cu41 (SC6 H3 F2 )15 Cl3 (P(PhF)3 )6 (H)25 ]2- exhibits catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes. This intriguing nanocluster provides a unique opportunity to explore the assembly of M13 units, similar to other coinage metal nanoclusters, and investigate the nanocluster-to-nanocluster transformation in phosphine and thiol ligand co-protected copper nanoclusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Zhou
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced MaterialsKey Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized MaterialsAnhui UniversityHefeiAnhui230601China
| | - Tengfei Duan
- Department of ChemistryKey Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Chemistry and Applications of MOEXiangtan UniversityXiangtanHunan411105China
| | - Zidong Lin
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced MaterialsKey Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized MaterialsAnhui UniversityHefeiAnhui230601China
| | - Tao Yang
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced MaterialsKey Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized MaterialsAnhui UniversityHefeiAnhui230601China
| | - Huijuan Deng
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced MaterialsKey Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized MaterialsAnhui UniversityHefeiAnhui230601China
| | - Shan Jin
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced MaterialsKey Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized MaterialsAnhui UniversityHefeiAnhui230601China
| | - Yong Pei
- Department of ChemistryKey Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Chemistry and Applications of MOEXiangtan UniversityXiangtanHunan411105China
| | - Manzhou Zhu
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced MaterialsKey Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of EducationDepartment of Chemistry and Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized MaterialsAnhui UniversityHefeiAnhui230601China
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Zhang B, Xia C, Hu J, Sheng H, Zhu M. Structure control and evolution of atomically precise gold clusters as heterogeneous precatalysts. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:1526-1538. [PMID: 38168796 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05460h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Metal clusters have distinct features from single atom and nanoparticle (>1 nm) catalysts, making them effective catalysts for various heterogeneous reactions. Nevertheless, the ambiguity and complexity of the catalyst structure preclude in-depth mechanistic studies. The evolution of metal species during synthesis and reaction processes represents another challenge. One effective solution is to precisely control the structure of the metal cluster, thus offering a well-defined pre-catalyst. The well-defined chemical formula and configurations make atomically precise metal nanoclusters optimal choices. To fabricate an atomically precise metal nanocluster-based heterogeneous catalyst with enhanced performance, careful structural design of both the nanocluster and support material, an effective assembling technique, and a pre-treatment method for these hybrids need to be developed. In this review, we summarize recent advances in in the development of heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise gold and alloy gold nanoclusters as precursors. We will begin with a brief introduction to the structural properties of atomically precise nanoclusters and structure determination of cluster/support hybrids. We will then introduce heterogeneous catalysts prepared from medium size (tens to hundreds of metal atoms) and low nuclearity nanoclusters. We will illustrate how ligand modification, support-cluster interaction, hybrid fabrication, and heteroatom (Pt, Pd Ag, Cu, Cd, Fe) introduction affect the structural properties and pretreatment/reaction-induced structural evolution of gold nanocluster pre-catalysts. Lastly, we will highlight the synthetic method of NCs@MOF hybrids and their effectiveness in circumventing the adverse cluster structural evolution. These findings are expected to shed light on the structure-activity relationship studies and future catalyst design strategies using atomically precise metal nanocluster pre-catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China.
| | - Chengcheng Xia
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China.
| | - Jinhui Hu
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China.
| | - Hongting Sheng
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China.
| | - Manzhou Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China.
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Zhou M, Li K, Pei Y, Jin S, Zhu M. Effect of Specific Heavy Doping of Silver Atoms into the Icosahedral Au 13 on Electronic Structure and Catalytic Performance. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:11715-11724. [PMID: 38112385 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The exploration of specific heavy doping of silver atoms into icosahedral Au13 clusters and their electronic structures and properties has been somewhat limited. Herein, we report two heavily Ag doped nanoclusters, [Au7Ag6(C7H4NOS)4(Dppf)3Cl]0 and [Au7Ag6(C7H4NOS)3(Dppf)3Cl](SbF6) (Au7Ag6-0 and Au7Ag6-1, respectively) [C7H4NOSH = 2-mercaptobenzoxazole, and Dppf = 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene]. The electronic structures and superatomic orbitals of nanoclusters were determined by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and the energy degeneracy of the superatomic orbitals of Au7Ag6-1 is higher than that of Au7Ag6-0. Transient absorption spectroscopy was performed, revealing that Au7Ag6-0 significantly extends the excited-state lifetime. Both nanoclusters were supported on activated carbon for the oxygen reduction reaction. DFT calculations confirm that the catalytic activities mainly stem from the carbon atom of ferrocene rather than the iron atom. This study not only sheds light on the preparation of icosahedral alloy clusters but also provides insights into the regulation of icosahedral superatomic structure and electrocatalytic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manman Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Chemistry and Applications of MOE, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, China
| | - Kang Li
- Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Chemistry and Applications of MOE, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, China
| | - Yong Pei
- Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Chemistry and Applications of MOE, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, China
| | - Shan Jin
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials (Anhui University), Ministry of Education, Hefei 230601, P. R. China
| | - Manzhou Zhu
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials (Anhui University), Ministry of Education, Hefei 230601, P. R. China
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