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Metallic Nanoclusters and Their Interaction with Light

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2025 | Viewed by 427

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Physical Chemistry Department, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Bd. Regina Elisabeta, 030018 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanomaterials; nanostructured drug delivery systems; microemulsions; functional surfaces; nanocoatings; polymer–surfactant complexes; superhydrophobic materials; plasmonic nanoparticles
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Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Bioresources and Polymer Science, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: nanomaterials; photophysical properties; silver nanoclusters; metastable materials; transition metal dichalcogenides

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tremendous interest in metallic nanoclusters has arisen throughout the years due to their peculiar character, at the interface between molecules and particles, and with the band structure of nanoclusters breaking down into discrete energy levels. For this reason, the interaction between light and metallic nanoclusters is a hot topic in research today.

Gold and silver nanoclusters have already been proven to be good candidates for imaging, therapy, and theranostics; copper nanoclusters have been successfully used in hydrogenation reactions, while iron nanoclusters were recently shown to have enhanced catalytic activity in the removal of pollutants from water. Therefore, the interaction between light and metallic nanoclusters gives rise to various potential applications in catalysis, green chemistry, imaging, and therapy.

The aim of this Special Issue of Molecules is to present a selection of research papers and reviews exemplifying the various interactions between light and metallic nanoclusters and their applications. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Synthesis of metallic nanoclusters with advanced photophysical properties;
  • Photophysical characterization of metallic nanoclusters, as well as structure–properties or composition–properties relationships;
  • Theoretical or experimental studies on the interaction between metallic nanoclusters and light;
  • Applications based on the interaction between metallic nanoclusters and light, such as photocatalysis, imaging, phototherapy, photothermal therapy, and photoswitches.

Dr. Ludmila Otilia Cinteza
Guest Editor

Dr. Vlad Neacșu
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • nanoclusters
  • photophysics
  • photocatalysis
  • imaging
  • phototherapy

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 3175 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Light-Driven Enhancement of CO2 Hydrogenation over Ru/TiO2 Catalysts
by Yibin Bu, Kasper Wenderich, Nathália Tavares Costa, Kees-Jan C. J. Weststrate, Annemarie Huijser and Guido Mul
Molecules 2025, 30(12), 2577; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30122577 - 13 Jun 2025
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Abstract
Ru/TiO2 catalysts are well known for their high activity in the hydrogenation of CO2 to CH4 (the Sabatier reaction). This activity is commonly attributed to strong metal–support interactions (SMSIs), associated with reducible oxide layers partly covering the Ru-metal particles. Moreover, [...] Read more.
Ru/TiO2 catalysts are well known for their high activity in the hydrogenation of CO2 to CH4 (the Sabatier reaction). This activity is commonly attributed to strong metal–support interactions (SMSIs), associated with reducible oxide layers partly covering the Ru-metal particles. Moreover, isothermal rates of formation of CH4 can be significantly enhanced by the exposure of Ru/TiO2 to light of UV/visible wavelengths, even at relatively low intensities. In this study, we confirm the significant enhancement in the rate of formation of methane in the conversion of CO2, e.g., at 200 °C from ~1.2 mol gRu−1·h−1 to ~1.8 mol gRu−1·h−1 by UV/Vis illumination of a hydrogen-treated Ru/TiOx catalyst. The activation energy does not change upon illumination—the rate enhancement coincides with a temperature increase of approximately 10 °C in steady state (flow) conditions. In-situ DRIFT experiments, performed in batch mode, demonstrate that the Ru–CO absorption frequency is shifted and the intensity reduced by combined UV/Vis illumination in the temperature range of 200–350 °C, which is more significant than can be explained by temperature enhancement alone. Moreover, exposing the catalyst to either UV (predominantly exciting TiO2) or visible illumination (exclusively exciting Ru) at small intensities leads to very similar effects on Ru–CO IR intensities, formed in situ by exposure to CO2. This further confirms that the temperature increase is likely not the only explanation for the enhancement in the reaction rates. Rather, as corroborated by photophysical studies reported in the literature, we propose that illumination induces changes in the electron density of Ru partly covered by a thin layer of TiOx, lowering the CO coverage, and thus enhancing the methane formation rate upon illumination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metallic Nanoclusters and Their Interaction with Light)
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