Steering the Product Selectivity of CO2 Electroreduction by Single Atom Switching in Isostructural Copper Nanocluster Catalysts.

Even single atom manipulation can cause drastically changes in catalytic activity and selectivity, especially in atomic-level catalysts. However, it is challenging to accurately elucidate the influence of specific atom on performance due to the intertwined factors in catalysts. Atomically precise isostructural nanoclusters (NCs) can serve as ideal platforms to uncover the impact of individual atom on catalytic property.

Precisely Regulating Asymmetric Charge Distribution by Single-Atom Central Doped Ag-Based Series Clusters for Enhanced Photoreduction of CO to Alcohol Fuels.

High efficiently photocatalytic CO reduction (CORR) into liquid fuels in pure water system remains challenged. Iron polyphthalocyanine (FePPc) with strong light harvesting, unique Fe-N structure, abundant pores, and good stability could serve as a promising catalyst for CO photoreduction. To further improve the catalytic efficiency, herein, symmetry-breaking Fe sites are constructed by coupling with atomically precise MAg (M=Ag, Au, Pt) series clusters.

Recent progress in atomically precise metal nanoclusters for photocatalytic application.

Photocatalysis is a widely recognized green and sustainable technology that can harness inexhaustible solar energy to carry out chemical reactions, offering the opportunity to mitigate environmental issues and the energy crisis. Photocatalysts with wide spectral response and rapid charge transfer capability are crucial for highly efficient photocatalytic activity. Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs), an emerging atomic-level material, have attracted great interests owing to their ultrasmall size, unique atomic stacking, abundant surface active sites, and quantum confinement effect.

Structure-Activity Relationships of the Structural Analogs AuCu and AuAg in the Electrocatalytic CO Reduction Reaction.

Owing to the significant attention directed toward alloy metal nanoclusters, it is crucial to explore the relationship between their structures and their performance during the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (eCORR) and discover potential synergistic effects for the design of novel functional nanoclusters. However, a lack of suitable analogs makes this investigation challenging. In this study, we synthesized a well-defined pair of structural analogs, [AuCu(SAdm)(Dppm)Cl] and [AuAg(SAdm)(Dppm)Cl] (AuCu and AuAg, respectively), and characterized them.

Stepwise construction of Ag nanocluster-based hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts.

Although several silver-based nanoclusters have been controllably prepared and structurally determined, their electrochemical catalytic performances have been relatively unexplored (or showed relatively weak ability towards electro-catalysis). In this work, we accomplished the step-by-step enhancement of the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency based on an Ag cluster template. A combination of atomically precise operations, including the kernel alloying, ligand engineering, and surface activation, was exploited to produce a highly efficient PtAg-BTT-Mn(10) nano-catalyst towards HER, derived from both experimental characterization and theoretical modelling.

1H-NMR Based Metabolomics Technology Identifies Potential Serum Biomarkers of Colorectal Cancer Lung Metastasis in a Mouse Model.

Background: Lung metastasis is a common metastasis site of colorectal cancer which largely reduces the quality of life and survival rates of patients. The discovery of potential novel diagnostic biomarkers is very meaningful for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer with lung metastasis.

Methods: In the present study, the metabonomic profiling of serum samples of lung metastasis mice was analyzed by H-nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR).

Sub-nanometer Cu(i) clusters: coordination-modulated (Se vs. S) atom-packing mode and emission.

Herein, the ligands' effect in Cu(i) clusters was initially explored. The results demonstrate that the Se atom possesses more coordination modes with Cu (μ, μ, μ, μ) than S, which significantly modulates the atom-packing mode of Cu(i) clusters. Importantly, this also endows these clusters with different temperature-dependent luminescent behaviours.

Atomically Precise Noble Metal Nanoclusters as Efficient Catalysts: A Bridge between Structure and Properties.

Improving the knowledge of the relationship between structure and properties is fundamental in catalysis. Recently, researchers have developed a variety of well-controlled methods to synthesize (NCs). NCs have shown high catalytic activity and unique selectivity in many catalytic reactions, which are related to their ultrasmall size, abundant unsaturated active sites, and unique electronic structure different from that of traditional nanoparticles (NPs).

Plasmonic-enhanced Raman scattering of graphene on growth substrates and its application in SERS.

We detail a facile method for enhancing the Raman signals of as-grown graphene on Cu foils by depositing gold nanoislands (Au Nis) onto the surface of graphene. It is found that an enhancement of up to 49 fold in the graphene Raman signal has been achieved by depositing a 4 nm thick Au film. The enhancement is considered to be related to the coupling between graphene and the plasmon modes of Au Nis, as confirmed by the finite element simulations.

Strong light-matter interactions in sub-nanometer gaps defined by monolayer graphene: toward highly sensitive SERS substrates.

The interactions between visible light and sub-nanometer gaps were investigated by sandwiching graphene between two layers of vertically stacked Au nanoparticles. The optical properties of such a hybrid film have been effectively tuned by embedding a monolayer graphene, enabling a suppressed transmission of ∼16% accompanied by a red-shift of the resonant wavelength. Finite element simulations have shown that the strong coupling between two layers of plasmonic Au nanoparticles leads to an electric field enhancement of up to 88 times in graphene defined vertical gaps, in contrast to that of 14 times in the horizontal gaps between Au nanoparticles formed in the fabrication process.

Manipulating size of Li3V2(PO4)3 with reduced graphene oxide: towards high-performance composite cathode for lithium ion batteries.

Lithium vanadium phosphate (Li3V2(PO4)3, LVP)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite is prepared with a rheological method followed by heat treatment. The size and interface of LVP particles, two important merits for a cathode material, can be effectively tuned by the rGO in the composite, which plays as surfactant to assist sol-gelation and simultaneously as conductive carbon coating. As a consequence, the composite with 7.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering chip for femtomolar detection of mercuric ion (II) by ligand exchange.

The chemical sensing for the convenient detection of mercuric ion (II) (Hg(2+)) have been widely explored with the use of various sensing materials and techniques. It still remains a challenge to achieve ultrasensitive but simple, rapid, and inexpensive detection to metal ions. Here we report a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip for the femtomolar (fM) detection of Hg(2+) by employing silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) together with an organic ligand.