A density functional theory study of the dissociation of H2 on gold clusters: importance of fluxionality and ensemble effects

Density functional theory was employed to calculate the adsorption/dissociation of H2 on gold surfaces, Au(111) and Au(100), and on gold particles from 0.7 (Au14) to 1.2 nm (Au29). Flat surfaces of the bulk metal were not active towards H2, but a different effect was observed in gold nanoclusters, where the hydrogen was adsorbed through a dissociative pathway. Several parameters such as the coordination of the Au atoms, ensemble effects and fluxionality of the particle were analyzed to explain the observed activity. The effect of the employed functional was also studied. The flexibility of the structure, i.e., its adaptability towards the adsorbate, plays a key role in the bonding and dissociation of H2. The interaction with hydrogen leads to drastic changes in the structure of the Au nanoparticles. Furthermore, it appears that not only low coordinated Au atoms are needed because H2 adsorption/dissociation was only observed when a cooperation between several (4) active Au atoms was allowed.     

A novel hydrogen peroxide sensor based on Ag nanoparticles electrodeposited on chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine-modified gold electrode

A novel strategy to fabricate a hydrogen peroxide sensor based on Ag nanoparticles electrodeposited on chitosan-graphene oxide nanocomposites/cysteamine-modified gold (Au) electrode was reported. The chitosan-graphene oxide nanocomposites were first assembled on a cysteamine-modified Au electrode to produce chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. Then Ag nanoparticles were electrodeposited on the modified Au electrode and formed Ag nanoparticles/chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. The chitosan-graphene oxide nanocomposites and the electrodeposited Ag nanoparticles were characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed the Ag nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. The cyclic voltammagrams and amperometric method were used to evaluate electrocatalytic properties of the Ag nanoparticles/chitosan-graphene oxide/cysteamine/Au electrode. The results showed that the modified electrode displayed good electrocatalytic activity to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide with a detection limit of 0.7 μM hydrogen peroxide based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The sensor has good reproducibility, wide linear range, and long-term stability.     

Strong metal-support interactions between gold nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods in CO oxidation

The catalytic performances of supported gold nanoparticles depend critically on the nature of support. Here, we report the first evidence of strong metal-support interactions (SMSI) between gold nanoparticles and ZnO nanorods based on results of structural and spectroscopic characterization. The catalyst shows encapsulation of gold nanoparticles by ZnO and the electron transfer between gold and the support. Detailed characterizations of the interaction between Au nanoparticles and ZnO were done with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and FTIR study of adsorbed CO. The significance of the SMSI effect is further investigated by probing the efficiency of CO oxidation over the Au/ZnO-nanorod. In contrast to the classical reductive SMSI in the TiO(2) supported group VIII metals which appears after high temperature reduction in H(2) with electron transfer from the support to metals, the oxidative SMSI in Au/ZnO-nanorod system gives oxygen-induced burial and electron transfer from gold to support. In CO oxidation, we found that the oxidative SMSI state is associated with positively charged gold nanoparticles with strong effect on its catalytic activity before and after encapsulation. The oxidative SMSI can be reversed by hydrogen treatment to induce AuZn alloy formation, de-encapsulation, and electron transfer from support to Au. Our discovery of the SMSI effects in Au/ZnO nanorods gives new understandings of the interaction between gold and support and provides new way to control the interaction between gold and the support as well as catalytic activity.     

The Enhanced Catalytic Performance and Stability of Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Supported Nano‐Gold with High Structural Integrity for Glycerol Oxidation

Ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) supported gold nanoparticles of size 3–4 nm having uniform dispersion were synthesized by sol‐immobilization method. OMCs such as CMK‐3 and NCCR‐56 with high surface area and uniform pore size were obtained, respectively, using ordered mesoporous silicas such as SBA‐15 and IITM‐56 as hard templates, respectively. The resulting OMC supported monodispersed nano‐gold, i. e., Au/CMK‐3 and Au/NCCR‐56, exhibited excellent performance as mild‐oxidizing catalysts for oxidation of glycerol with high hydrothermal stability. Further, unlike activated carbon supported nano‐gold catalysts (Au/AC), the OMC supported nano‐gold catalysts, i. e., Au/CMK‐3 and Au/NCCR‐56, show no aggregation of active species even after recycling. Thus, in the case of Au/CMK‐3 and Au/NCCR‐56, both the fresh and regenerated catalysts showed excellent performane for the chosen reaction owing to an enhanced textural integrity of the catalysts and that with remarkable selectivity towards glyceric acid. The significance of the OMC supports in maintaining the dispersion of gold nanoparticles is explicit from this study, and that the activity of Au/AC catalyst is considerably decreased (～50 %) upon recycling as a result of agglomeration of the active gold nanoparticles over the disordered amorphous carbon matrix.     

Dipole-dipole interactions in spin-labeled au nanoparticles as a measure of interspin distances

A series of Au nanoparticles modified with a nitroxide-functionalized ligand was prepared with a range of spin-label coverage. The X-band EPR spectra of frozen solutions of these nanoparticles showed coverage-dependent line-broadening due to dipole-dipole interactions between spin labels. We developed a methodology to analyze such spectra in terms of geometrical features of the nanoparticles (e.g., Au core size and the length of the spin-labeled ligand). Our method is based on the assumption that the spectral line shape is determined by the average distance between nearest-neighboring spin labels adsorbed on the Au particle. Geometrical and statistical analysis then relates this distance to the line shape parameter d1/d, which was calibrated using a model system. Application of this methodology to the experimental spectra provided information about the conformation of ligands on the Au surface. We found that, if the spin-labeled ligand is substantially longer than the surrounding protecting layer, it does not adopt a fully stretched conformation but wraps around the particle immediately above the layer of surrounding ligand. Our results also show that the ligands do not adsorb cooperatively on the Au surface.     

金属载体强相互作用增强Au/TiO2催化剂在3-硝基苯乙烯选择性加氢反应的活性

自Haruta与Hutchings于上世纪八十年代末发现金纳米催化剂优异的反应活性以来,科研人员对金催化的应用领域进行了广泛而深入地研究.对金催化科学和应用领域的研究一直在进行.大量的研究表明,金催化剂在各种选择性氧化反应中具有优异的催化性能(高活性和高选择性).然而,在催化加氢反应中,尽管金催化剂相比于铂族金属显示出优越的选择性,但是由于金催化剂选择性加氢反应的活性较差,使其在选择性催化加氢反应中的应用受到了极大的限制.研究表明,金催化剂较弱的活化氢气能力是其催化加氢反应活性低的主要原因.研究发现,氢气活化的活性中心可能是界面、负价金、低配位的金原子等.金催化剂具有明显的载体效应,金属-载体之间的相互作用能够显著地改变金催化剂的催化性能.Tauster等研究发现,铂族金属与还原性载体之间存在强相互作用,能够引发载体包覆金属表面,并且使得电子从载体向金属迁移,导致金属带负电.受金属-载体强相互作用(SMSI)效应的启发,本文探究了Au/TiO2催化剂中SMSI对金催化剂加氢性能的影响.在H2或O2气氛下高温焙烧Au/TiO2,获得一系列金催化剂(Au/TiO2-TA,T为焙烧温度(oC):300、400、500和600;A为气氛:H2或O2).对比在3-硝基苯乙烯(3-NS)选择性加氢反应中的活性发现,Au/TiO2-500H的TOF值是Au/TiO2-500O的3.3倍;动力学测试表明,Au/TiO2-500H和Au/TiO2-500O的反应表观活化能分别为79.5和105.1 kJ/mol.这表明两类催化剂催化活性中心的结构存在差异.X射线光电子能谱测试结果表明,Au/TiO2-H样品中Au带部分负电,而Au/TiO2-O中Au显示为金属态.HAADF-STEM和EELS显示,Au/TiO2-H中Au NPs的表面有TiOx物种,增加了Au-TiO2的界面.EPR结果表明,Au/TiO2-H中存在表面Ti3+物种,而Au/TiO2-O样品中则没有.为确认加氢反应的活性中心到底是界面还是负价金物种,本文探究了不同温度下氢气处理的Au/TiO2的结构与性能的关系,发现Au/TiO2-300H/400H/500H催化剂都显示出较好的催化3-NS加氢活性,而Au/TiO2-600H虽然具有更多的负价金物种,但是3-NS选择性加氢反应的活性反而降低,因此,负价金不是活性中心.这是因为不同温度处理的Au/TiO2-H样品中,SMSI的强弱不同,在300、400、500 oC下,SMSI能够增加Au-TiO2的界面长度,从而增强了3-NS加氢反应的活性;而温度达到600 oC,SMSI效应太强,Au NPs被包覆更密实,导致Au/TiO2-600H的3-NS选择性加氢反应的活性下降.密度泛函理论计算表明,Au/TiO2-H样品具有更低的H2解离活化能以及氢转移活化能.氢氘交换反应也进一步验证了SMSI有利于H2的活化.     

电极/反相微乳液体系电沉积制备纳米金镀层

将含有氯化金的强酸性水溶液作为水相与Triton X-100、正己醇、正己烷组成反相微乳液体系, 并以该微乳液构成电极/反相微乳液电极系统, 利用电沉积方法成功地制备出纳米Au镀层. 循环伏安和交流阻抗对反相微乳液体系电沉积过程的研究发现, 微乳液中Au(III)的还原为完全不可逆过程, 其电化学反应的阻抗值约为具有相同表观浓度氯化金水溶液体系的5.5倍. SEM研究结果表明, 利用微乳液体系电沉积获得的金镀层由纳米Au颗粒组成, 直径为50 nm左右. 所制备的纳米Au修饰电极由于具有较大的比表面积, 其电化学性能优于纯Au电极, 该电极在酸性条件下有较好的析氢性能, 在碱性条件对丙三醇有较好的电催化氧化性能.     

Gold nanoparticle formation from photochemical reduction of Au3+ by continuous excitation in colloidal solutions. A proposed molecular mechanism

A photochemical reduction of Au3+ with continuous 250-400 nm excitation is studied in ethylene glycol, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) is used as a capping material. After the absorption of Au3+ disappears, excitation is stopped. The surface plasmon absorption of gold as well as the thermal reappearance of the Au3+ absorption are found to increase as a function of time. The rates of these changes are studied as a function of the mole fraction of ethylene glycol in water. Experimental results show that a small amount of ethylene glycol increases the formation of gold nanoparticles and decreases the reformation of the Au3+ absorption after irradiation. Increasing the glycol concentration first increases the rate of formation of gold nanoparticles to a maximum at a mole fraction 0.40. As the glycol concentration is further increased, the rate of formation of the gold nanoparticles and the rate of re-formation of Au3+ decrease. A mechanism is proposed that involves the reduction of the excited Au3+ to Au2+ by ethylene glycol. This is followed by the disproportionation of Au2+ to Au3+ and Au1+. Both the reduction of Au1+ by ethylene glycol and its disproportionation lead to the formation of Au0, which upon nucleation and growth form Au nanoparticles.     

Observed Dramatically Improved Catalysis of Ag Shell on Au/Ag Core‐shell Nanorods is Due to Silver Impurities Released During Etching Process

Core/shell bimetallic nanoparticles are highly popular in electrocatalysis; it is argued that the core metal enhances the catalytic properties of the shell. We have investigated the electrocatalytic properties of Au/Ag core‐shell nanorods (Au/Ag NRs) where Ag shell was thinned by aging in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. We observed excellent electrocatalysis toward hydrogen peroxide electroreduction upon decreasing the Ag shell thickness, which would, at first, appear to imply a strong synergistic effect of the Au core with the Ag shell for electrocatalysis. We show, however, that this electrocatalysis is not caused by particular Au/Ag core/shell structures but rather by the presence of residual silver impurities in the form of Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) formed during the preparation of the thin‐layer silver shell/gold core nanorods.     

Thermosensitive gold nanoparticles

Thermosensitive gold nanoparticles were fabricated by conjugating Au with a thiol-terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or PPA; this polymer stabilizer exhibits a temperature transition while undergoing a hydrophilic to hydrophobic transformation. The introduction of PPA onto gold nanoparticles has sensitized Au nanoparticles with unique temperature dependence. At low temperature (25 degrees C), the solutions containing PPA-functionalized gold nanoparticles are transparent, whereas higher temperatures (30 degrees C) lead to opaque suspensions. The thermosensitive property of PPA-functionalized Au nanoparticles is reversible, and the clear-opaque suspensions can be repeated many times.     

Direct electrochemistry of cytochrome c immobilized on a novel macroporous gold film coated with a self-assembled 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid monolayer

We have successfully constructed a novel gold film with open interconnected macroporous walls of nanoparticles by combining the hydrogen bubble dynamic template synthesis with galvanic replacement reaction. After modified by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), the three-dimensionally (3D) interconnected macroporous Au film has been used as a biocompatible substrate for the immobilization of cytochrome c. The morphology, structure and electrochemical features of the modified and unmodified macroporous Au films were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results reveal that the resultant films had a large electroactive surface area for high protein loading, enhanced electron transfer of cytochrome c, retained electrochemical activity, good stability and repeatability. And the excellent electrochemical behaviors could be attributed to the hierarchical structure of the macroporous Au film constructed by nanoparticles.     

An in situ quick XAFS spectroscopy study on the formation mechanism of small gold nanoparticles supported by porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivants

We previously reported that a porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivant, which has two disulfide straps over one face of the porphyrin plane, can produce monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles, 2-4 nm in size, by the one-pot reduction of HAuCl(4) in DMF. The resulting nanoparticles are smaller than those prepared using the same S/Au molar ratio of a monodentate passivant. To examine the formation mechanism of small gold nanoparticles, the formation of gold nanoparticles in the presence of porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivants or a structurally related monodentate passivant was studied by time-resolved quick X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that all of Au ions in solution are reduced to compose small Au clusters, i.e. nuclei, just after the NaBH(4) reduction of HAuCl(4) in both cases, but their size varied with the initial S/Au molar ratios and structure of the passivants. Thus, the size of Au nuclei was kinetically controlled by the passivants. Interestingly, the porphyrin-cored tetradentate passivant could stabilize smaller gold nanoparticles, 2-4 nm in size, but it was less efficient in trapping the Au nuclei formed at a very early stage, in comparison to the monodentate passivant.     

Preparation and characterization of gold nanoparticles and nanowires loaded into rod-shaped silica by a one-step procedure

Rod-shaped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (RMSN) with built-in gold nanoparticles or thin gold nanowires in the pore channels were in situ synthesized via a one-step procedure. The insertion of a hydrophobic gold precursor into the mesopores of RMSN was reached through a micellar solubilization mechanism and gold nanoparticles were achieved through a thermal reduction. The resulting RMSN and Au-RMSN samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning microscopies (TEM and SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen physisorption and solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The interaction of Au precursor (a carbene complex) with the thiol group at the silica surface was identified and found to play a crucial role in the dispersion of the uniform metal nanoparticles at the internal surface of RMSN. Moreover, TEM micrographs revealed the absence of large gold particles outside the mesopore network. The shape of Au nanoparticles and their loading amount in the mesoporous silica could be easily tuned by altering the concentration of gold precursor.     

The effect of hydrogen adsorption on the electronic structure of gold nanoparticles

It has been demonstrated that hydrogen adsorption has an effect on the electronic structure of gold nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of separate gold nanoparticles have been studied under an ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. The structure and electronic structure of gold–hydrogen clusters were modeled by the quantum-chemical density functional theory method. Hydrogen adsorption onto gold nanoparticles 4–5 nm is size at room temperature was experimentally revealed, and the lower limit of 1.7 eV for the Au–H bond energy was determined. The interaction of hydrogen with gold leads to a considerable rearrangement of the electronic subsystem of nanoparticles. The experimentally observed effects were supported by quantum-chemical calculations. The rearrangement mechanism is related to strong correlations in the electronic subsystem.     

Monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles by the self-assembly of micellar poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) block copolymer

A study is presented of the preparation of gold nanoparticles incorporated into biodegradable micelles. Poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) copolymer was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization, and the hydroxyl end group of the PCL block was modified with thioctic acid using dicyclohexyl carbodiimide as the coupling reagent. The PEO-b-PCL-thioctate ester (TE) thus obtained was used in a later step to form monolayer protected gold nanoparticles via the thioctate spacer. Gold nanoparticles stabilized with the PEO-b-PCL block (named Au/Block (x/y), where x/y is the mole feed ratio between HAuCl4 and PEO-b-PCL-TE) were prepared and analyzed. Au/Block (1/1), Au/Block (2/1), and Au/Block (3/1) nanoparticles were found to form stable dispersions in the organic solvents commonly used to dissolve the unlabeled block copolymer. The average diameter of the nanoparticles was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and found to be 6+/-2 nm. Au/Block (4/1) nanoparticle dispersions in organic solvents, on the other hand, were not stable and produced large gold clusters (50-100 nm). Cluster formation was attributed to the low grafting density of the block copolymer, which facilitates agglomeration. For Au/Block (12/1), along the same trend, only an insoluble product was isolated. Micelles in water were prepared by the slow addition of the dilute Au/Block solution in dimethylformamide into a large excess of water with vigorous stirring. Au/Block (1/1) and Au/Block (2/1) formed nanosized structures of 5-7 nm. TEM images of stained Au/Block (1/1) micelles, made in water, clearly showed the formation of core-shell structures. Au/Block (3/1) micelles, on the other hand, were not stable and large agglomerates a few microns in size were observed. The study focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and aggregation behavior of gold-loaded PEO-b-PCL block copolymer micelles, a potential system for drug delivery in conjunction with tissue and subcellular localization studies.     

Size control in the synthesis of 1-6 nm gold nanoparticles via solvent-controlled nucleation

We report a facile synthetic route for size-controlled preparation of gold nanoparticles. Nearly monodisperse gold nanoparticles with core diameters of 1-6 nm were obtained by reducing AuP(Phenyl)(3)Cl with tert-butylamine borane in the presence of dodecanethiol in the solvent mixture of benzene and CHCl(3). Mechanism studies have shown that the size control is achieved by the solvent-controlled nucleation in which the nuclei concentration increases with increasing the fraction of CHCl(3), leading to smaller particles. It was also found that, following the solvent-controlled nucleation, particle growth occurs via ligand replacement of PPh(3) on the nuclei by Au(I)thiolate generated by the digestive etching of small particles. This synthetic strategy was successfully demonstrated with other alkanethiols of different chain length with which size-controlled, monodisperse gold nanoparticles were prepared in remarkable yield without requiring any postsynthesis treatments.     

Alkanethiol-induced structural rearrangements in silica-gold core-shell-type nanoparticle clusters: an opportunity for chemical sensor engineering

Electrostatically bonded SiO2.Au nanoparticle clusters form by reaction of 3-aminopropylsilane-modified SiO2 spheres (470 nm) with citrate-coated gold nanoparticles (9.7 nm) in water. Reaction of the clusters with 0.01 M KBr or HCl solution induces desorption of the gold nanoparticles within minutes. Reaction of the clusters with alkanethiols CnH2n+1SH (n = 2-18) at 80 degrees C causes the gold nanoparticles to form stringlike gold nanoparticle structures for thiols with short alkane groups (n = 2, 3, 4) and hexagonally packed arrays of gold nanoparticles for thiols with long alkane groups (n = 5-18) on the silica surfaces. The structural changes indicate that the bonding between Au and SiO2 nanoparticles has changed from electrostatic to van der Waals. Elemental analyses show that the reaction with hexanethiol does not affect the Au/Si/O composition of the SiO2.Au cluster, and Raman spectra on the hexanethiol-reacted cluster indicate the formation of a thiol SAM on the gold nanoparticles. The thiol-reacted SiO2.Au clusters display characteristic shifts of the absorption maxima in the visible spectra, and there is an inverse relation between these shifts and the lengths of the alkyl groups in the thiols. This relationship can be understood in terms of the free electron model for metals. The use of SiO2.Au nanoparticle clusters as coulometric sensors for the qualitative detection of thiols is discussed.     

A molecular template designed by the modification of a helix-forming β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide to fabricate one-dimensional nanostructures

We report the development of a new templating molecule designed by the modification of a helix-forming β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide to the cationic semiartificial one and its application to the fabrication of one-dimensional (1D) gold nanostructures by simple photoirradiation. Transmission electron microscopy observation showed that Au(III) ions are primarily reduced to gold nanoparticles self-assembling into the 1D array with the aid of the cationic β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide, which gradually fuse into the 1D gold nanostructure with the tapelike structure. The gold nanotape structure could not be created by neutral β-1,3-glucan polysaccharides or random coil synthetic cationic polymers. These findings consistently support the view that Au(III) ions are reduced by unmodified OH groups to gold nanoparticles under the photoirradiation, which are wrapped in the helical structure of the cationic β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide and eventually fuse into gold nanotapes. One may regard, therefore, that this cationic β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide can act as an "all-in-one" template playing three roles of reduction, 1D arrangement, and fusion of gold nanoparticles. In addition, we found an interesting phenomenon that the obtained gold nanotapes coated with cationic β-1,3-glucan polysaccharides show unique surface-enhanced Raman scattering for anionic porphyrines organized on the surface of gold nanotapes through the electrostatic interaction.     

Self-assembly of multilayer films containing gold nanoparticles via hydrogen bonding

Polymer/Au nanoparticle multilayer ultrathin films are fabricated via hydrogen-bonding interaction by a layer-by-layer technique. The Au nanoparticles surface-modified with pyridine groups of poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) are prepared in dimethyl formamide (DMF). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image shows that uniform nanoparticles are dispersed in the PVP chains. Poly(3-thiophene acetic acid) (PTAA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) are utilized to form hydrogen bonds with PVP, respectively. Considering the pH-sensitive dissociation behavior of PTAA and PAA, we investigate the release behavior of the Au-containing multilayers at different pH values in this work. UV-vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are employed to monitor the buildup and the release of the multilayers. The results indicate that in the films assembled with gold nanoparticles, the polymers are difficult to be removed from the substrate. The interaction between the gold particles and the neighboring PVP chains is responsible for the phenomenon. Gold particles act as physical cross-link points in the multilayers. Due to the additional interaction caused by the gold nanoparticles in the films except the hydrogen-bonding interaction between PTAA (or PAA) and PVP, the stability of the Au-containing multilayer film is ensured even though the changes in pH values may result in the break of the hydrogen bonds.