Critical roles of metal-ligand complexes in the controlled synthesis of various metal nanoclusters.

Metal nanoclusters (NCs), an important class of nanoparticles (NPs), are extremely small in size and possess quasi-molecular properties. Due to accurate stoichiometry of constituent atoms and ligands, NCs have strong structure-property relationship. The synthesis of NCs is seemingly similar to that of NPs as both are formed by colloidal phase transitions.

Heteroepitaxial Growth of B -Site-Rich Ru Nanoparticles Guided by Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Low-Temperature Ammonia Dehydrogenation.

Ruthenium is one of the most active catalysts for ammonia dehydrogenation and is essential for the use of ammonia as a hydrogen storage material. The B -type site on the surface of ruthenium is expected to exhibit the highest catalytic activity for ammonia dehydrogenation, but the number of these sites is typically low. Here, a B -site-rich ruthenium catalyst is synthesized by exploiting the crystal symmetry of a hexagonal boron nitride support.

Single-Phase Formation of Rh O Nanoparticles on h-BN Support for Highly Controlled Methane Partial Oxidation to Syngas.

Single-phase formation of active metal oxides on supports has been vigorously pursued in many catalytic applications to suppress undesired reactions and to determine direct structure-property relationships. However, this is difficult to achieve in nanoscale range because the effect of non-uniform metal-support interfaces becomes dominant in the overall catalyst growth, leading to the nucleation of various metastable oxides. Herein, we develop a supported single-phase corundum-Rh O (I) nanocatalyst by utilizing controlled interaction between metal oxide and h-BN support.

In situ manipulation of the d-band center in metals for catalytic activity in CO oxidation.

A combination of in situ XANES, temperature programmed oxidation, kinetic and density functional theory results demonstrate that the d-band centers (ε) of Au and Pt metals are upshifted when 39.9 V m of electric field is applied. This leads to the enhancement of the adsorption strength of CO on both metals, and, thus, results in the promotion (+15%) and the depression (-23%) of CO conversions on Au and Pt, respectively, in the CO oxidation.

Tuning the electronic state of metal/graphene catalysts for the control of catalytic activity via N- and B-doping into graphene.

Catalytic activity was efficiently tuned via manipulating the electronic state of a catalyst, induced by a facile doping method in a metal/graphene system. The strategy was proven to be applicable to not only transition metal but also noble metal catalysts in CO hydrogenation and 4-nitrophenol reduction.

Radial alignment of c-channel nanorods in 3D porous TiO2 for eliciting enhanced Li storage performance.

A c-channel formed inside stacked (001) planes in rutile TiO2 exhibits the lowest energy barrier for Li migration. Based on this rationale, we proposed a three-dimensional TiO2 sphere comprised of radially assembled c-channel specialized nanorods in order to maximize Li storage.