title: A molecule-like PtAu24(SC6H13)18nanocluster as an electrocatalyst for hydrogen production.
abstract: The theoretically predicted volcano plot for hydrogen production shows the best catalyst as the one that ensures that the hydrogen binding step is thermodynamically neutral. However, the experimental realization of this concept has suffered from the inherent surface heterogeneity of solid catalysts. It is even more challenging for molecular catalysts because of their complex chemical environment. Here, we report that the thermoneutral catalyst can be prepared by simple doping of a platinum atom into a molecule-like gold nanocluster. The catalytic activity of the resulting bimetallic nanocluster, PtAu24(SC6H13)18, for the hydrogen production is found to be significantly higher than reported catalysts. It is even better than the benchmarking platinum catalyst. The molecule-like bimetallic nanocluster represents a class of catalysts that bridge homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and may provide a platform for the discovery of finely optimized catalysts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kyuju
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
authors.forename: Woojun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
authors.forename: Minseok
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yongjin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA.
authors.forename: De-En
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
authors.forename: Dongil
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee