title: Branched Au nanostructures enriched with a uniform facet: facile synthesis and catalytic performances.
abstract: Well-defined noble metal nanocrystals (NMNCs) of a unique morphology yet a uniform facet have attracted broad interests. In this regard, those with a highly branched architecture have gained particular attention. Most of the currently existing branched NMNCs, however, are enclosed by mixed facets. We now report that branched Au nanoarchitectures could be facilely fabricated by mixing an aqueous solution of KAuCl₄, an aqueous dispersion of graphene oxide, and ethanol under ambient conditions. Interestingly, unilike the conventional branched NMNCs, our unique Au nanostructures are predominately enriched with a uniform facet of {111}. Compared to the spherical Au nanostructures exposed with mixed facets, our branched nanospecies of a uniform facet display superior catalytic performances both for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol. Our investigation represents the first example that Au nanostructures simultaneously featured with a highly branched architecture and a uniform crystal facet could be formulated. Our unique Au nanostructures provide a fundamental yet new scientific forum to disclose the correlation between the surface atomic arrangement and the catalytic performances of branched NMNCs.
authors.affiliation: 1] Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface, and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China [2].
authors.forename: Mingshan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: 1] Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface, and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China [2] College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, P. R. China [3].
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: 1] Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface, and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China [2] College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Penglei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 1] Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface, and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China [2] College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yunfan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface, and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yukou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Tiesheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface, and Chemical Thermodynamics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Minghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu