Physics of Clusters and Cluster Assemblies. In: Jellinek J, editor. Theory of Atomic and Molecular Clusters. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 1999. pp. 27-53. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-58389-6_2]

Metal Nanoclusters: New Paradigm in Catalysis for Water Splitting, Solar and Chemical Energy Conversion

A sustainable future demands innovative breakthroughs in science and technology today, especially in the energy sector. Earth-abundant resources can be explored and used to develop renewable and sustainable resources of energy to meet the ever-increasing global energy demand. Efficient solar-powered conversion systems exploiting inexpensive and robust catalytic materials for the photo- and photo-electro-catalytic water splitting, photovoltaic cells, fuel cells, and usage of waste products (such as CO₂ ) as chemical fuels are appealing solutions. Many electrocatalysts and nanomaterials have been extensively studied in this regard. Low overpotentials, catalytic stability, and accessibility remain major challenges. Metal nanoclusters (NCs, ≤3 nm) with dimensions between molecule and nanoparticles (NPs) are innovative materials in catalysis. They behave like a "superatom" with exciting size- and facet-dependent properties and dynamic intrinsic characteristics. Being an emerging field in recent scientific endeavors, metal NCs are believed to replace the natural photosystem II for the generation of green electrons in a viable way to facilitate the challenging catalytic processes in energy-conversion schemes. This Review aims to discuss metal NCs in terms of their unique physicochemical properties, possible synthetic approaches by wet chemistry, and various applications (mostly recent advances in the electrochemical and photo-electrochemical water splitting cycle and the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells). Moreover, the significant role that MNCs play in dye-sensitized solar cells and nanoarrays as a light-harvesting antenna, the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into fuels, and concluding remarks about the present and future perspectives of MNCs in the frontiers of surface science are also critically reviewed.

Catalysis by clusters with precise numbers of atoms

Clusters that contain only a small number of atoms can exhibit unique and often unexpected properties. The clusters are of particular interest in catalysis because they can act as individual active sites, and minor changes in size and composition--such as the addition or removal of a single atom--can have a substantial influence on the activity and selectivity of a reaction. Here, we review recent progress in the synthesis and characterization of well-defined subnanometre clusters, and the understanding and exploitation of their catalytic properties. We examine work on size-selected supported clusters in ultrahigh-vacuum environments and under realistic reaction conditions, and explore the use of computational methods to provide a mechanistic understanding of their catalytic properties. We also highlight the potential of size-selected clusters to provide insights into important catalytic processes and their use in the development of novel catalytic systems.

Zeolite LTA Nanoparticles Prepared by Laser-Induced Fracture of Zeolite Microcrystals

Zeolite LTA nanoparticles are prepared by laser-induced fragmentation of zeolite LTA microparticles using a pulsed laser. Zeolite nanoparticle formation is attributed to absorption of the laser at impurities or defects within the zeolite microcrystal generating thermoelastic stress that mechanically fractures the microparticle into smaller nanoparticle fragments. Experimentally, it is found that nanoparticles have a wide size and morphology distribution. Large nanoparticles (>200 nm) are typically irregularly shaped crystals of zeolite LTA, whereas small nanoparticles (<50 nm) tend to be spherical, dense, and amorphous, indicative of destruction of the original LTA crystal structure. Results of the fragmentation versus laser parameters show that shorter laser wavelengths are more efficient at producing zeolite nanoparticles, which is explained based on a larger cross section for optical absorption in the zeolite crystal. Increasing the laser energy density irradiating the sample was found to be a trade-off between increasing the amount of fragmentation and increasing the amount of structural damage to the zeolite crystal. It is suggested that in the presence of strongly absorbing defects, plasma formation is induced resulting in dramatically higher temperatures. On the basis of these results it is suggested the optimal laser processing conditions are 355 nm and 10 mJ/pulse laser energy for our LTA samples.