摘要
To alleviate the global warming by removing excess CO_(2) and converting them into value-added chemicals,(photo)electrochemical reduction has been recognized as a promising strategy.As the CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2) RR) is involved with multiple electrons and multiple products,plus the complexity of the surface chemical environment of the catalyst,it is extremely challenging to establish the structure/function relationship.Atomically precise metal nanoclusters(NCs),with crystallographically resolved structure,molecule-like characters and strong quantum confinement effects,have been emerging as a new type of catalyst for CO_(2) RR,and more importantly,they can provide an ideal platform to unravel the comprehensive mechanistic insights and establish the structure/function relationship eventually.In this review,the recent advances regarding employing molecular metal NCs with well-defined structure including Au NCs,Au-based alloy NCs,Ag NCs,Cu NCs for CO_(2) RR and relevant mechanistic studies are discussed,and the opportunities and challenges are proposed at the end for paving the development of CO_(2) RR by using atomically precise metal NCs.
基金
the grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21805170)
financial support from Guangdong Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholars(No.2015A030306006)
Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Projects(No.201804010323)
the fundamental funds for central universities(SCUT No.2018ZD022)。
