@article{a1d5bc061d914fa1aa0316304e69585a,
title = "Plasmonic Au nanoclusters dispersed in nitrogen-doped graphene as a robust photocatalyst for light-to-hydrogen conversion",
abstract = "Supported plasmonic Au nanoclusters (NCs) consisting of a few tens of atoms can potentially offer great advantages for the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we report on the synthesis of well-dispersed and stable plasmonic Au NCs of 0.5-1.0 nm size on nitrogen-doped high surface area graphene (N-Gr)viafreeze-drying and pyrolyzing in argon. The Au NCs/N-Gr photocatalyst exhibits under visible-light an impressive HER achievement (3.16 μmol mgcat−1h−1) compared to Au single atoms/N-Gr (2.06 μmol mgcat−1h−1) and Au nanoparticles (20 nm size)/N-Gr (0.92 μmol mgcat−1h−1), with a maximum apparent quantum yield of 14.30%. These performances are synergistically attributed to two effects: (a) the strong surface plasmon resonance stimulated by light absorption and transferred near the surface of Au NCs, where the N-Gr conductive support can prolong the plasmon-produced hot electrons and direct the light-to-hydrogen conversion; (b) a high catalytic efficiency of Au NCs/N-Gr nanocomposites.",
author = "{Van Dao}, Dung and Cipriano, {Luis A.} and {Di Liberto}, Giovanni and Nguyen, {Thuy T.D.} and Ki, {Sang Woo} and Hoki Son and Kim, {Gyu Cheol} and Lee, {Kang Hyun} and Yang, {Jin Kyu} and Yu, {Yeon Tae} and Gianfranco Pacchioni and Lee, {In Hwan}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (NRF-2020R1A2B5B03001603, 2020R1A2C1014498, 2021R1A2C2008447). L. A. C., G. D. L. and G. P. acknowledge the nancial support from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) through the PRIN Project 20179337R7, and the grant Dipartimenti di Eccellenza-2017 “Materials for Energy”. Access to the CINECA supercomputing resources (Italy) was granted via ISCRAB. Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (NRF-2020R1A2B5B03001603, 2020R1A2C1014498, 2021R1A2C2008447). L. A. C., G. D. L. and G. P. acknowledge the financial support from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) through the PRIN Project 20179337R7, and the grant Dipartimenti di Eccellenza-2017 ?Materials for Energy?. Access to the CINECA supercomputing resources (Italy) was grantedviaISCRAB. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021.",
year = "2021",
month = oct,
day = "28",
doi = "10.1039/d1ta05445g",
language = "English",
volume = "9",
pages = "22810--22819",
journal = "Journal of Materials Chemistry A",
issn = "2050-7488",
publisher = "Royal Society of Chemistry",
number = "40",
}