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Updated: Sep 23, 2025

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Stabilized Hydrido Au24 Nanoclusters: Synthesis, Structure, and Electrocatalytic Reduction of
Viveka K Kulkarni1, Behnam Nourmohammadi Khiarak2, Shinjiro Takano3
1Department of Chemistry, Queen's University, Chernoff Hall, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
Abstract:
Atomically precise hydrido gold nanoclusters are extremely rare but interesting due to their potential applications in catalysis. By optimization of molecular precursors, we have prepared an unprecedented N-heterocyclic carbene-stabilized hydrido gold nanocluster, [Au24(NHC)14Cl2H3]3+. This cluster comprises a dimer of two Au12 kernels, each adopting an icosahedral shape with one missing vertex. The two kernels are joined through triangular faces, which are capped with a total of three hydrides. The hydrides are detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, with density functional theory calculations supporting their position bridging the six uncoordinated gold sites. The reactivity of this Au24H3 cluster in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 is demonstrated and benchmarked against related catalysts.
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