Ag Doped Au 44 Nanoclusters for Electrocatalytic Conversion of CO 2 to CO.

A novel Ag doped Au 44 (C 10 H 9 ) 28 nanocluster (C 10 H 10 =1-ethynyl-2,4-dimethylbenzene) was synthesized, that is, Ag 4+x Au 40-x (C 10 H 9 ) 28 (x≤6), where four Ag positions located in the surface staple of the cluster have been determined, while six Au/Ag co-occupying positions have been found in the metal core of the cluster. The electronic configuration of Au 44 (C 10 H 9 ) 28 cluster is significantly disturbed by doping Ag atoms, hence promoting the electron transport capability. For the two-electron conversion reaction of CO 2 to CO in electrochemical reduction of CO 2 , Ag doped Ag 4+x Au 40-x (C 10 H 9 ) 28 catalyst exhibited higher effective activity and long-term stability than its counterpart Au 44 (C 10 H 9 ) 28 catalyst.