Influence of a Cu-zirconia interface structure on CO2 adsorption and activation.

CO2 adsorption and activation on a catalyst are key elementary steps for CO2 conversion to various valuable products. In the present computational study, we screened different Cu-ZrO2 interface structures and analyzed the influence of the interface structure on CO2 binding strength using density functional theory calculations. Our results demonstrate that a Cu nanorod favors one position on both tetragonal and monoclinic ZrO2 surfaces, where the bottom Cu atoms are placed close to the lattice oxygens. In agreement with previous calculations, we find that CO2 prefers a bent bidentate configuration at the Cu-ZrO2 interface and the molecule is clearly activated being negatively charged. Straining of the Cu nanorod influences CO2 adsorption energy but does not change the preferred nanorod position on zirconia. Altogether, our results highlight that CO2 adsorption and activation depend sensitively on the chemical composition and atomic structure of the interface used in the calculations. This structure sensitivity may potentially impact further catalytic steps and the overall computed reactivity profile.

Embryonic Growth of Face-Center-Cubic Silver Nanoclusters Shaped in Nearly Perfect Half-Cubes and Cubes.

Demonstrated herein are the preparation and crystallographic characterization of the family of fcc silver nanoclusters from Nichol's cube to Rubik's cube and beyond via ligand-control (thiolates and phosphines in this case). The basic building block is our previously reported fcc cluster [Ag14(SPhF2)12(PPh3)8] (1). The metal frameworks of [Ag38(SPhF2)26(PR'3)8] (22) and [Ag63(SPhF2)36(PR'3)8]+ (23), where HSPhF2 = 3,4-difluorothiophenol and R' = alkyl/aryl, are composed of 2 × 2 = 4 and 2 × 2 × 2 = 8 metal cubes of 1, respectively. All serial clusters share similar surface structural features. The thiolate ligands cap the six faces and the 12 edges of the cube (or half cube) while the phosphine ligands are terminally bonded to its eight corners. On the basis of the analysis of the crystal structures of 1, 22, and 23, we predict the next "cube of cubes" to be Ag172(SR)72(PR'3)8] (33), in the evolution of growth of this cluster sequence.

An intermetallic Au24Ag20 superatom nanocluster stabilized by labile ligands.

An intermetallic nanocluster containing 44 metal atoms, Au24Ag20(2-SPy)4(PhC≡C)20Cl2, was successfully synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal analysis and density funtional theory computations. The 44 metal atoms in the cluster are arranged as a concentric three-shell Au12@Ag20@Au12 Keplerate structure having a high symmetry. For the first time, the co-presence of three different types of anionic ligands (i.e., phenylalkynyl, 2-pyridylthiolate, and chloride) was revealed on the surface of metal nanoclusters. Similar to thiolates, alkynyls bind linearly to surface Au atoms using their σ-bonds, leading to the formation of two types of surface staple units (PhC≡C-Au-L, L = PhC≡C(-) or 2-pyridylthiolate) on the cluster. The co-presence of three different surface ligands allows the site-specific surface and functional modification of the cluster. The lability of PhC≡C(-) ligands on the cluster was demonstrated, making it possible to keep the metal core intact while removing partial surface capping. Moreover, it was found that ligand exchange on the cluster occurs easily to offer various derivatives with the same metal core but different surface functionality and thus different solubility.

Superatomic S(2) silver clusters stabilized by a thiolate-phosphine monolayer: insight into electronic and optical properties of Ag14(SC6H3F2)12(PPh3)8 and Ag16(SC6H3F2)14(DPPE)4.

The electronic structure of two recently crystallographically solved, thiolate-phosphine protected silver clusters Ag14 and Ag16 are analyzed via density functional theory (DFT) and their optical excitations are analyzed from time-dependent DFT perturbation theory. Both clusters can be characterized as having the S(2) free-electron configuration in the metal core, which is the first time such a configuration is confirmed for structurally known ligand-protected noble metal clusters. However, their different core shapes and ligand layer induce significantly different optical spectra. Performance of gradient-corrected DFT functionals is discussed and it is shown that the asymptotically correct Leeuwen-Baerends LB94 functional reproduces the optical spectrum of Ag14 in a good agreement with experiment. Choice of the functional becomes important for clusters where the optical transitions are dominated by the electron-rich ligand layer.

Silver cluster-biomolecule hybrids: from basics towards sensors.

We focus on the functional role of small silver clusters in model hybrid systems involving peptides in the context of a new generation of nanostructured materials for biosensing. The optical properties of hybrids in the gas phase and at support will be addressed with the aim to bridge fundamental and application aspects. We show that extension and enhancement of absorption of peptides can be achieved by small silver clusters due to the interaction of intense intracluster excitations with the π-π* excitations of chromophoric aminoacids. Moreover, we demonstrate that the binding of a peptide to a supported silver cluster can be detected by the optical fingerprint. This illustrates that supported silver clusters can serve as building blocks for biosensing materials. Moreover, the clusters can be used simultaneously to immobilize biomolecules and to increase the sensitivity of detection, thus replacing the standard use of organic dyes and providing label-free detection. Complementary to that, we show that protected silver clusters containing a cluster core and a shell liganded by thiolates exhibit absorption properties with intense transitions in the visible regime which are also suitable for biosensing applications.

Ag44(SeR)30: A Hollow Cage Silver Cluster with Selenolate Protection.

Selenolate protected, stable and atomically precise, hollow silver cluster was synthesized using solid state as well as solution state routes. The optical absorption spectrum shows multiple and sharp features similar to the thiolated Ag44 cluster, Ag44(SR)30 whose experimental structure was reported recently. High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESI MS) shows well-defined molecular ion features with two, three, and four ions with isotopic resolution, due to Ag44(SePh)30. Additional characterization with diverse tools confirmed the composition. The closed-shell 18 electron superatom electronic structure, analogous to Ag44(SR)30 stabilizes the dodecahedral cage with a large HOMO-LUMO gap of 0.71 eV. The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) prediction of the optical absorption spectrum, assuming the Ag44(SR)30 structure, matches the experimental data, confirming the structure.

All-thiol-stabilized Ag44 and Au12Ag32 nanoparticles with single-crystal structures.

Noble metal nanoparticles stabilized by organic ligands are important for applications in assembly, site-specific bioconjugate labelling and sensing, drug delivery and medical therapy, molecular recognition and molecular electronics, and catalysis. Here we report crystal structures and theoretical analysis of three Ag44(SR)30 and three Au12Ag32(SR)30 intermetallic nanoclusters stabilized with fluorinated arylthiols (SR=SPhF, SPhF2 or SPhCF3). The nanocluster forms a Keplerate solid of concentric icosahedral and dodecahedral atom shells, protected by six Ag2(SR)5 units. Positive counterions in the crystal indicate a high negative charge of 4(-) per nanoparticle, and density functional theory calculations explain the stability as an 18-electron superatom shell closure in the metal core. Highly featured optical absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible region are analysed using time-dependent density functional perturbation theory. This work forms a basis for further understanding, engineering and controlling of stability as well as electronic and optical properties of these novel nanomaterials.

Formation and characterization of thioglycolic acid-silver cluster complexes.

Gas phase reactivity observed in an ion trap was used to produce silver clusters protected with thioglycolic acid. Fragmentation pathways as well as optical properties were explored experimentally and theoretically. Sequential losses of SCH2 and CO2 in the ion trap lead to redox reactions with charge transfers between the metal part and the carboxylate and thiolate groups. This allows us to control the number of electrons in the metallic subunit and thus optical properties of the complexes. The presented formation process can be used as a prototype for tuning optical and chemical properties of ligated metal clusters by varying the number of confined electrons within the metallic subunit.

Synthesis, characterization and optical properties of low nuclearity liganded silver clusters: Ag31(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11.

We report a simple synthesis of silver:glutathione (Ag:SG) clusters using a cyclic reduction under oxidative conditions. Two syntheses are described which lead to solutions containing well-defined Ag31(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11 clusters that have been characterized by mass spectrometry. The optical properties of silver:glutathione (Ag:SG) cluster solutions have been investigated experimentally. In particular, the solution containing Ag15(SG)11 clusters shows a bright and photostable emission. For Ag31(SG)19 and Ag15(SG)11 clusters, the comparison of experimental findings with DFT and TDDFT calculations allowed us to reveal the structural and electronic properties of such low nuclearity liganded silver clusters.