Towards Atomically Precise Supported Catalysts from Monolayer-Protected Clusters: The Critical Role of the Support

Understanding Molecular Aggregation of Ligand-Protected Atomically-Precise Metal Nanoclusters

Monolayer-protected atomically precise nanoclusters (MPCs) are an important class of molecules due to their unique structural features and diverse applications, including bioimaging, sensors, and drug carriers. Understanding the atomistic and dynamical details of their self-assembly process is crucial for designing system-specific applications. Here, we applied molecular dynamics and on-the-fly probability-based enhanced sampling simulations to study the aggregation of Au₂₅(pMBA)₁₈ MPCs in aqueous and methanol solutions. The MPCs interact via both hydrogen bonds and π-stacks between the aromatic ligands to form stable dimers, oligomers, and crystals. The dimerization free energy profiles reveal a pivotal role of the ligand charged state and solvent mediating the molecular aggregation. Furthermore, MPCs' ligands exhibit suppressed conformational flexibility in the solid phase due to facile intercluster hydrogen bonds and π-stacks. Our work provides unprecedented molecular-level dynamical details of the aggregation process and conformational dynamics of MPCs ligands in solution and crystalline phases.

Structural evolution after oxidative pretreatment and CO oxidation of Au nanoclusters with different ligand shell composition: a view on the Au core

The reactivity of supported monolayer protected Au nanoclusters is directly affected by their structural dynamics under pretreatment and reaction conditions. The effect of different types of ligands of Au clusters supported on CeO₂ on their core structure evolution, under oxidative pretreatment and CO oxidation reaction, was investigated. X-ray absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies revealed that the clusters evolve to a similar core structure above 250 °C in all the cases, indicating the active role of the ligand-support interaction in the reaction.

Surface and Interface Coordination Chemistry Learned from Model Heterogeneous Metal Nanocatalysts: From Atomically Dispersed Catalysts to Atomically Precise Clusters

The surface and interface coordination structures of heterogeneous metal catalysts are crucial to their catalytic performance. However, the complicated surface and interface structures of heterogeneous catalysts make it challenging to identify the molecular-level structure of their active sites and thus precisely control their performance. To address this challenge, atomically dispersed metal catalysts (ADMCs) and ligand-protected atomically precise metal clusters (APMCs) have been emerging as two important classes of model heterogeneous catalysts in recent years, helping to build bridge between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. This review illustrates how the surface and interface coordination chemistry of these two types of model catalysts determines the catalytic performance from multiple dimensions. The section of ADMCs starts with the local coordination structure of metal sites at the metal-support interface, and then focuses on the effects of coordinating atoms, including their basicity and hardness/softness. Studies are also summarized to discuss the cooperativity achieved by dual metal sites and remote effects. In the section of APMCs, the roles of surface ligands and supports in determining the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability of APMCs are illustrated. Finally, some personal perspectives on the further development of surface coordination and interface chemistry for model heterogeneous metal catalysts are presented.

Graphene Bridge for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution with Gold Nanocluster Co-Catalysts

Herein, the UV light photocatalytic activity of an Au₁₀₁NC-AlSrTiO₃-rGO nanocomposite comprising 1 wt% rGO, 0.05 wt% Au₁₀₁(PPh₃)₂₁Cl₅ (Au₁₀₁NC), and AlSrTiO₃ evaluated for H₂ production. The synthesis of Au₁₀₁NC-AlSrTiO₃-rGO nanocomposite followed two distinct routes: (1) Au₁₀₁NC was first mixed with AlSrTiO₃ followed by the addition of rGO (Au₁₀₁NC-AlSrTiO₃:rGO) and (2) Au₁₀₁NC was first mixed with rGO followed by the addition of AlSrTiO₃ (Au₁₀₁NC-rGO:AlSrTiO₃). Both prepared samples were annealed in air at 210 °C for 15 min. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy showed that the Au₁₀₁NC adhered almost exclusively to the rGO in the nanocomposite and maintained a size less than 2 nm. Under UV light irradiation, the Au₁₀₁NC-AlSrTiO₃:rGO nanocomposite produced H₂ at a rate 12 times greater than Au₁₀₁NC-AlSrTiO₃ and 64 times greater than AlSrTiO₃. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the small particle size and high loading of Au₁₀₁NC, which is achieved by non-covalent binding to rGO. These results show that significant improvements can be made to AlSrTiO₃-based photocatalysts that use cluster co-catalysts by the addition of rGO as an electron mediator to achieve high cluster loading and limited agglomeration of the clusters.

A Review of State of the Art in Phosphine Ligated Gold Clusters and Application in Catalysis

Atomically precise gold clusters are highly desirable due to their well-defined structure which allows the study of structure-property relationships. In addition, they have potential in technological applications such as nanoscale catalysis. The structural, chemical, electronic, and optical properties of ligated gold clusters are strongly defined by the metal-ligand interaction and type of ligands. This critical feature renders gold-phosphine clusters unique and distinct from other ligand-protected gold clusters. The use of multidentate phosphines enables preparation of varying core sizes and exotic structures beyond regular polyhedrons. Weak gold-phosphorous (Au-P) bonding is advantageous for ligand exchange and removal for specific applications, such as catalysis, without agglomeration. The aim of this review is to provide a unified view of gold-phosphine clusters and to present an in-depth discussion on recent advances and key developments for these clusters. This review features the unique chemistry, structural, electronic, and optical properties of gold-phosphine clusters. Advanced characterization techniques, including synchrotron-based spectroscopy, have unraveled substantial effects of Au-P interaction on the composition-, structure-, and size-dependent properties. State-of-the-art theoretical calculations that reveal insights into experimental findings are also discussed. Finally, a discussion of the application of gold-phosphine clusters in catalysis is presented.

CeO2 Supported Gold Nanocluster Catalysts for CO oxidation: Surface Evolution Influenced by the Ligand Shell

Monolayer protected Au nanocluster catalysts are known to undergo structural changes during catalytic reactions, including dissociation and migration of ligands onto the support, which strongly affects their activity and stability. To better understand how the nature of ligands influences the catalytic activity of such catalysts, three types of ceria supported Au nanoclusters with different kinds of ligands (thiolates, phosphines and a mixture thereof) have been studied, employing CO oxidation as model reaction. The thiolate‐protected Au₂₅/CeO₂ showed significantly higher CO conversion after activation at 250 °C than the cluster catalysts possessing phosphine ligands. Temperature programmed oxidation and in situ infrared spectroscopy revealed that while the phosphine ligands seemed to decompose and free Au surface was exposed, temperatures higher than 250 °C are required to efficiently remove them from the whole catalyst system. Moreover, the presence of residues on the support seemed to have much greater influence on the reactivity than the gold particle size.

Influence of the Support on Propene Oxidation over Gold Catalysts

The epoxidation of propene without forming a substantial amount of byproducts is one of the holy grails of catalysis. Supported Cu, Ag and Au catalysts are studied for this reaction and the activity of the supported metals is generally well understood. On the contrary, limited information is available on the influence of the support on the epoxide selectivity. The reaction of propene with equal amounts of hydrogen and oxygen was tested over gold nanoparticles deposited onto CeO2, TiO2, WO3, γ-Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2-SiO2 and titanosilicate-1. Several metal oxide supports caused further conversion of the synthesized propene oxide. Strongly acidic supports, such as WO3 and titanosilicate-1, catalyzed the isomerization of propene oxide towards propanal and acetone. Key factors for achieving high PO selectivity are having inert or neutralized surface sites, a low specific surface and/or a low density of surface -OH groups. This work provides insights and practical guidelines to which metal oxide support properties lead to which products in the reaction of propene in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen over supported gold catalysts.

Synthesis of active, robust and cationic Au25 cluster catalysts on double metal hydroxide by long-term oxidative aging of Au25(SR)18

Synthesis of an atomically precise Au₂₅ cluster catalyst was attempted by long-term, low-temperature aging of Au₂₅(BaET)₁₈ (BaET-H = 2-(Boc-amino)ethanethiol) on various double metal hydroxide (DMH) supports. X-ray absorption fine structure analysis revealed that bare Au₂₅ clusters with high loading (1 wt%) were successfully generated on the DMH containing Co and Ce (Co₃Ce) by oxidative aging in air at 150 °C for >12 h. X-ray absorption near-edge structure and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies showed that the Au₂₅ clusters on Co₃Ce were positively charged. The Au₂₅/Co₃Ce catalyst thus synthesized exhibited superior catalytic performance in the aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol under ambient conditions (TOF = 1097 h^-1 with >97% selectivity to benzoic acid) and high durability owing to a strong anchoring effect. Based on kinetic experiments, we propose that abstraction of hydride from α-carbon of benzyl alkoxide by Au₂₅ is the rate-determining step of benzyl alcohol oxidation by Au₂₅/Co₃Ce.

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters meet metal-organic frameworks

Significant progress has been made in both fields of atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in recent years. A promising direction is to integrate these two classes of materials for creating unique composites with improved properties for catalysis and other applications. NCs incorporated with MOFs exhibit an optimized catalytic performance in many catalytic reactions, in which MOFs play a vital supporting role or as cocatalysts. In this Perspective, we first provide a brief summary of the methods that have been developed for the preparation of NCs/MOF composites and the characteristics of these strategies are analyzed. Following that, some recent works are highlighted to demonstrate the crucial role of MOF matrices in the enhancement of NCs catalytic properties. Finally, we outline some potentially important aspects for future work. This Perspective is in hopes of stimulating more interest in the research on the integration of NCs with MOFs toward functional materials.

Thiolate-Protected Metal Nanoclusters: Recent Development in Synthesis, Understanding of Reaction, and Application in Energy and Environmental Field

Metal nanoclusters (NCs), which are composed of about 250 or fewer metal atoms, possess great potential as novel functional materials. Fundamental research on metal NCs gradually started in the 1960s, and since 2000, thiolate (SR)-protected metal NCs have been the main metal NCs actively studied. The precise and systematic isolation of SR-protected metal NCs has been achieved in 2005. Since then, research on SR-protected metal NCs for both basic science and practical application has rapidly expanded. This review describes this recent progress in the field of SR-protected metal NCs in three areas: synthesis, understanding, and application. Specifically, the recent study of alloy NCs and connected structures composed of NCs is highlighted in the "synthesis" section, recent knowledge on the reactivity of NCs in solution is highlighted in the "understanding" section, and the applications of NCs in the energy and environmental field are highlighted in the "application" section. This review provides insight on the current state of research on SR-protected metal NCs and discusses the challenges to be overcome for further development in this field as well as the possibilities that these materials can contribute to solving the problems facing modern society.

Toward the creation of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts by controlled ligand desorption from atomically precise metal nanoclusters

Ligand-protected metal nanoclusters controlled by atomic accuracy (i. e. atomically precise metal NCs) have recently attracted considerable attention as active sites in heterogeneous catalysts. Using these atomically precise metal NCs, it becomes possible to create novel heterogeneous catalysts based on a size-specific electronic/geometrical structure of metal NCs and understand the mechanism of the catalytic reaction easily. However, to create high-performance heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise metal NCs, it is often necessary to remove the ligands from the metal NCs. This review summarizes previous studies on the creation of heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise metal NCs while focusing on the calcination as a ligand-elimination method. Through this summary, we intend to share state-of-art techniques and knowledge on (1) experimental conditions suitable for creating high-performance heterogeneous catalysts (e.g., support type, metal NC type, ligand type, and calcination temperature), (2) the mechanism of calcination, and (3) the mechanism of catalytic reaction over the created heterogeneous catalyst. We also discuss (4) issues that should be addressed in the future toward the creation of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise metal NCs. The knowledge and issues described in this review are expected to lead to clear design guidelines for the creation of novel heterogeneous catalysts.

Prospects and challenges for computer simulations of monolayer-protected metal clusters

Precise knowledge of chemical composition and atomic structure of functional nanosized systems, such as metal clusters stabilized by an organic molecular layer, allows for detailed computational work to investigate structure-property relations. Here, we discuss selected recent examples of computational work that has advanced understanding of how these clusters work in catalysis, how they interact with biological systems, and how they can make self-assembled, macroscopic materials. A growing challenge is to develop effective new simulation methods that take into account the cluster-environment interactions. These new hybrid methods are likely to contain components from electronic structure theory combined with machine learning algorithms for accelerated evaluations of atom-atom interactions.

ESI-MS Identification of the Cationic Phosphine-Ligated Gold Clusters Au1-22: Insight into the Gold-Ligand Ratio and Abundance of Larger Clusters

Triphenylphosphine (PPh₃)-ligated gold nanoclusters are valuable for a number of potential applications due to their relative ease of synthesis and usefulness in forming advanced cluster architectures. While previous studies have reported cationic PPh₃-ligated gold clusters with core sizes of Au_1-4, Au_6-11, and Au_13-14, there has not been definitive identification by mass spectrometry of many larger clusters in the Au_12-25 range. Herein, we survey a polydisperse solution of cationic PPh₃-ligated gold clusters using high-mass-resolution (M/ΔM = 60,000) electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). To improve the sensitivity and mass resolution of larger clusters for unambiguous identification, we increased the number of scan averages and reduced the range of mass collection windows to 200 m/z, thereby mitigating potential mass and ion abundance bias resulting from smaller "building block" gold clusters that are present in much higher abundance in solution. In addition to the previously reported clusters, we identify several new species including Au₅(PPh₃)₅⁺, Au₁₂(PPh₃)₉HCl²⁺, Au₁₅(PPh₃)₉Cl²⁺, Au₁₆(PPh₃)₁₀Cl₂²⁺, Au₁₇(PPh₃)₁₁³⁺, Au₁₈(PPh₃)₁₀²⁺, Au₁₉(PPh₃)₁₀Cl²⁺, Au₂₀(PPh₃)₁₂H₃³⁺, Au₂₁(PPh₃)₁₀Cl²⁺, and Au₂₂(PPh₃)₁₀Cl₂²⁺, indicating that a full range of clusters between Au_1-22 may be observed in a single polydisperse solution. Considering all of the clusters observed, our findings provide evidence that the Au_12-14 size range is a critical transition point in cluster nucleation. While smaller clusters exhibit a 1:1 gold-to-ligand ratio, larger clusters (beginning Au_12-14) feature additional gold atoms without an equal number of accompanying ligands. Our results support previous evidence in the literature indicating that the "magic number" icosahedral Au₁₃ geometry is the smallest cluster size where a ligand-less central gold atom is coordinated by a complete shell of 12 surrounding ligated gold atoms, thereby creating a stable "one-shell" cluster. Furthermore, our findings reinforce growing evidence that ligands may be used to actively direct gold cluster size and abundance during synthesis. While for PPh₃-ligated systems the most abundant species are Au_6-9 clusters, we find that for related methyldiphenylphosphine (PPh₂Me) and dimethylphenylphosphine (PPhMe₂)-ligated systems the most abundant cluster sizes are Au_10-11 and Au_12-14, respectively. Together, we demonstrate that reducing the range of m/z collection windows and increasing the number of scan averages dramatically improves instrument sensitivity for cationic gold clusters, enabling thorough characterization of polydisperse solutions that is not possible using conventional techniques.

Dynamics of weak interactions in the ligand layer of meta-mercaptobenzoic acid protected gold nanoclusters Au68(m-MBA)32 and Au144(m-MBA)40

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters, stabilized and functionalized by organic ligands, are emerging nanomaterials with potential applications in plasmonics, nano-electronics, bio-imaging, nanocatalysis, and as therapeutic agents or drug carriers in nanomedicine. The ligand layer has an important role in modifying the physico-chemical properties of the clusters and in defining the interactions between the clusters and the environment. While this role is well recognized from a great deal of experimental studies, there is very little theoretical information on dynamical processes within the layer itself. Here, we have performed extensive molecular dynamics simulations, with forces calculated from the density functional theory, to investigate thermal stability and dynamics of the ligand layer of the meta-mercaptobenzoic acid (m-MBA) protected Au68 and Au144 nanoclusters, which are the first two gold nanoclusters structurally solved to atomic precision by electron microscopy [Azubel et al., Science, 2014, 345, 909 and ACS Nano, 2017, 11, 11866]. We visualize and analyze dynamics of three distinct non-covalent interactions, viz., ligand-ligand hydrogen bonding, metal-ligand O[double bond, length as m-dash]C-OHAu interaction, and metal-ligand Ph(π)Au interaction. We discuss their relevance for defining, at the same time, the dynamic stability and reactivity of the cluster. These interactions promote the possibility of ligand addition reactions for bio-functionalization or allow the protected cluster to act as a catalyst where active sites are dynamically accessible inside the ligand layer.

Towards Atomically Precise Supported Catalysts from Monolayer-Protected Clusters: The Critical Role of the Support

Controlling the size and uniformity of metal clusters with atomic precision is essential for fine-tuning their catalytic properties, however for clusters deposited on supports, such control is challenging. Here, by combining X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, it is shown that supports play a crucial role in the evolution of monolayer-protected clusters into catalysts. Based on the acidic nature of the support, cluster-support interactions lead either to fragmentation of the cluster into isolated Au-ligand species or ligand-free metallic Au⁰ clusters. On Lewis acidic supports that bind metals strongly, the latter transformation occurs while preserving the original size of the metal cluster, as demonstrated for various Au_n sizes. These findings underline the role of the support in the design of supported catalysts and represent an important step toward the synthesis of atomically precise supported nanomaterials with tailored physico-chemical properties.