Controlling Gold Nanoparticles with Atomic Precision: Size Focusing Synthesis, Functionalization and Catalytic Applications

Gold nanoparticles have drawn significant research and technological interest due to their unique catalytic, optical, and electronic properties. Control of nanoparticles with atomic precision has long been a major dream of inorganic chemists. Apparently, an atomic level of synthetic control still poses major challenges to chemists in the nanoscience field. In this talk, a new “size focusing” methodology will be presented for the synthesis of atomically precise gold nanoparticles with core diameter spanning from 1.0 to 2.2 nanometer and containing from 25 up to 333 gold atoms in each particle. Such atomically precise nanoparticles allow their total structure (core plus surface) to be determined and facile functionalization of both metal core and surface ligands to tune their properties. Understanding the total structure (in particular the surface atomic arrangement) leads to the successful utilization of the materials as highly efficient catalysts for selective oxidation of sulfides and styrene, and electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. In addition, this talk will also discuss the applications of nanoparticles in biological imaging and environmental catalysis.