Affiliation:
1. New Energy Research Institute School of Environment and Energy South China University of Technology Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Guangzhou 510006 China
Abstract
AbstractWe report the overall structure and trifunctionality catalytic application of an atomically precise alloy nanocluster of Ag20Rh2(C≡C‐tBu)16(CF3CO2)6(H2O)2 (abbreviated as Ag20Rh2 hereafter). Ag20Rh2 has a twisted rod‐like structure, where a Ag4@Rh2 kernel is connected by two twisted Ag8 cubes on two sides. Ag20Rh2 is a superatomic cluster with four free valence electrons, and it has characteristic absorbance feature. Interestingly, Ag20Rh2 exhibited superior catalytic performance than the larger AgRh nanoparticle counterparts in electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), reduction of 4‐nitrophenol, and the methyl orange degradation reaction. Such intriguing catalytic properties are attributed to the more exposed active sites from the ultrasmall nanoclusters than relatively large nanoparticles. This study not only enriches the family member of alkynyl‐protected AgRh nanoclusters with atomic precision, but also highlights the great advantages of employing nanoclusters as efficient catalysts for multiple functionalities.
Subject
General Chemistry,Biochemistry,Organic Chemistry