Synthesis of atomic gold clusters with strong electrocatalytic activities.
Small atomic gold clusters in solution, Au n , stabilized by tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBABr), have been synthesized by a simple electrochemical technique, based on the anodic dissolution of a gold electrode in the presence of TBABr salt, and using acetronitrile as solvent. The presence of clusters in the range Au3-Au11 were detected by MALDI-TOF spectroscopy, and further characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, TEM, AFM, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. Clusters display a semiconductor behavior with a band edge of approximately 2.5 eV. We report here their extraordinarily high electrocatalytic activity toward the O2 reduction reaction in acid solutions, which can explain Zhang's results, showing that a four-electron mechanism seems to occur because of the facile reduction of H2O2 on gold clusters compared to bulk gold or larger gold nanoparticles.
Laboratory of Magnetism and Nanotechnology, Technological Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. mary.rodriguez.vazquez@usc.es
María
M
J Rodríguez-Vázquez
M Carmen
MC
Blanco
Ricardo
R
Lourido
Carlos
C
Vázquez-Vázquez
Elena
E
Pastor
Gabriel A
GA
Planes
José
J
Rivas
M Arturo
MA
López-Quintela