Atomically Precise Supported Au₁₅ Nanoclusters for Efficient and Selective Electrooxidation of Lignin-Derived Alcohols to Aromatic Ketones.

Authors

Panpan Li, Xuxin Kang, Haifeng Jiang, Yuqing Chen, Xiuting Fu, Chenxi Li, Xiangmei Duan, Shubo Tian

Published in

Nano letters. Jul 15, 2026. Epub Jul 15, 2026.

Abstract

Selective electrooxidation of lignin-derived alcohols to value-added aromatic ketones enables sustainable biomass valorization, but remains limited by high overpotentials and competing C-C bond cleavage. Here, atomically precise Au₁₅ nanoclusters supported on carbon black (Au₁₅/CB) were prepared through a ligand-stabilized rapid pyrolysis strategy. Au-S-C anchoring preserves the discrete electronic structure of Au₁₅ during immobilization. For 1-phenylethanol (1-PL) electrooxidation, Au₁₅/CB delivers 10 mA cm^-2 at 0.96 V versus RHE, representing a 650 mV potential decrease relative to the oxygen evolution reaction. It also achieves 94% conversion of 1-PL with 99% selectivity toward acetophenone and excellent cycling stability, outperforming its single-atom (Au₁/CB) and nanoparticle (Au NPs/CB) counterparts. Mechanistic studies show that an upshifted d-band center facilitates Au-OH_ads formation and strengthens adsorption of key intermediates, thereby lowering the thermodynamic barrier while maintaining efficient product desorption. These findings highlight atomic precision as a strategy for selective biomass electro-upgrading.

PMID:
42456130
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Jul 2026.

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