Stabilizing ultrasmall Au clusters for enhanced photoredox catalysis.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29670102.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-04020-2 and PMC identifier 5906565.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Recently, loading ligand-protected gold (Au) clusters as visible light photosensitizers onto various supports for photoredox catalysis has attracted considerable attention. However, the efficient control of long-term photostability of Au clusters on the metal-support interface remains challenging. Herein, we report a simple and efficient method for enhancing the photostability of glutathione-protected Au clusters (Au GSH clusters) loaded on the surface of SiO<sub>2</sub> sphere by utilizing multifunctional branched poly-ethylenimine (BPEI) as a surface charge modifying, reducing and stabilizing agent. The sequential coating of thickness controlled TiO<sub>2</sub> shells can further significantly improve the photocatalytic efficiency, while such structurally designed core-shell SiO<sub>2</sub>-Au GSH clusters-BPEI@TiO<sub>2</sub> composites maintain high photostability during longtime light illumination conditions. This joint strategy via interfacial modification and composition engineering provides a facile guideline for stabilizing ultrasmall Au clusters and rational design of Au clusters-based composites with improved activity toward targeting applications in photoredox catalysis.