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Updated: Jun 27, 2025
Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Stepwise structural evolution toward robust carboranealkynyl-protected copper nanocluster catalysts for nitrate
Jie Wang1, Jinmeng Cai1, Kai-Xin Ren1
1Henan Key Laboratory of Crystalline Molecular Functional Materials, Henan International Joint Laboratory of Tumor Theranostical Cluster Materials, Green Catalysis Center, and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Abstract:
Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) are emerging as idealized model catalysts for imprecise metal nanoparticles to unveil their structure-activity relationship. However, the directional synthesis of robust metal NCs with accessible catalytic active sites remains a great challenge. In this work, we achieved bulky carboranealkynyl-protected copper NCs, the monomer Cu·3PF6 and nido-carboranealkynyl bridged dimer Cu·4PF6, with fair stability as well as accessible open metal sites step by step through external ligand shell modification and metal-core evolution. Both Cu·3PF6 and Cu·4PF6 demonstrate remarkable catalytic activity and selectivity in electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3-) reduction to NH3 reaction, with the dimer Cu·4PF6 displaying superior performance. The mechanism of this catalytic reaction was elucidated through theoretical computations in conjunction with in situ FTIR spectra. This study not only provides strategies for accessing desired copper NC catalysts but also establishes a platform to uncover the structure-activity relationship of copper NCs.
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