Design of Support Effect in the Catalytic Application of Ligand-Protect Gold Clusters

Ligand-protected gold (Aun) clusters sometimes need the removal of organic ligands to expose more active sites and reduce steric hindrance in catalytic reactions, and large amount of organic and inorganic materials usually need to be employed as supports to anchor Aun clusters through different interaction mechanisms. Whereas, less comprehensive summaries have been provided about the crucial contribution of various supports to the catalytic performance of the supported Aun clusters. Herein, this review firstly summarizes synthesis methods (e.g., impregnation and encapsulation processes) for the supported Aun cluster catalysts, and then mainly points out specific contributions of support effect in a great diversity of catalytic reactions, as well as deep interaction mechanisms. Besides, opportunities and challenging issues will be stated towards supported Aun clusters, in terms of improving catalytic performance and structural stability of Aun clusters in the demand of catalysis.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the synthesis methods and specific contributions of supports to the catalytic performance of supported gold cluster catalysts, as well as the deep interaction mechanisms. Additionally, it discusses the opportunities and challenging issues in improving catalytic performance and structural stability of supported gold clusters in catalysis applications.