Oxygen Electroreduction Performance of Ultrasmall Gold Nanoclusters

Ultrasmall gold nanoclusters consisting of 2-4 Au atoms were synthesized and their performance in electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) was examined. These clusters were synthesized by exposing AuPPh₃Cl to the aqueous ammonia medium for one week. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicate that the as-synthesized gold clusters (abbreviated as Au_x) consist of 2-4 Au atoms coordinated by the triphenylphosphine, hydroxyl, and adsorbed oxygen ligands. A glassy carbon disk electrode loaded with the Au_x clusters (Au_x/GC) was characterized by the cyclic and linear-sweep voltammetry for ORR. The cyclic voltammogram vs. RHE shows the onset potential of 0.87 V, and the kinetic parameters of J_K at 0.47 V and the electron-transfer number per oxygen molecule were calculated to be 14.28 mA/cm² and 3.96 via the Koutecky-Levich equations, respectively.