Abstract
Ultrasmall gold nanoclusters consisting of 2–4 Au atoms were synthesized and their performance in electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) was examined. These clusters were synthesized by exposing AuPPh3Cl to the aqueous ammonia medium for one week. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicate that the assynthesized gold clusters (abbreviated as Aux) consist of 2–4 Au atoms coordinated by the triphenylphosphine, hydroxyl, and adsorbed oxygen ligands. A glassy carbon disk electrode loaded with the Aux clusters (Aux/GC) was characterized by the cyclic and linear-sweep voltammetry for ORR. The cyclic voltammogram vs. RHE shows the onset potential of 0.87 V, and the kinetic parameters of JK at 0.47 V and the electron-transfer number per oxygen molecule were calculated to be 14.28 mA/cm2 and 3.96 via the Koutecky-Levich equations, respectively.
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