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Segregation effects on the properties of (AuAg)₁₄₇.

Gould, AL; Heard, CJ; Logsdail, AJ; Catlow, CR; (2014) Segregation effects on the properties of (AuAg)₁₄₇. Phys Chem Chem Phys , 16 (39) 21049 - 21061. 10.1039/c4cp00753k. Green open access

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Abstract

AuAg nanoclusters are promising supported co-catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen reduction. However, beyond the quantum regime (N > 100) little is known about how the electronic properties of these nanoparticles are affected by chemical ordering. We investigate the effects of chemical ordering on the properties of 147-atom cuboctahedral AuAg nanoclusters, using empirical potentials coupled with an atomic-swap basin-hopping search to optimise the elemental distribution, with the lowest energy arrangements then reminimised using Density Functional Theory (DFT). Force-field calculations show Au atoms preferentially occupy sub-surface positions in the bimetallic structures, which results in the formation of a pseudo-onion structure for Ag-rich compositions. At the DFT-level, however, an Ag core surrounded by an Au shell (Ag@Au) is energetically favoured, as electron density can be drawn more readily when Au atoms are positioned on the nanocluster surface, thus resulting in a partial negative charge. Core@shell configurations are analogous to structures that can be chemically synthesised, and further detailed electronic analysis is discussed in the context of nanocluster applications to co-catalysed photocatalysis.

Type: Article
Title: Segregation effects on the properties of (AuAg)₁₄₇.
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1039/c4cp00753k
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c4cp00753k
Language: English
Additional information: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Chemistry
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1428967
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