Laser Fabrication of Subnanometer Catalysts from Metal Organic Nanocapsules

该奖项研究了一种利用激光分解从金属有机纳米胶囊中制造小纳米级簇的新方法。这些团簇被组装在高导电性的石墨烯支架上，形成多相催化剂。该项目包括在计算模型的支持下对这些簇的成核、生长和稳定进行实验研究。该项目带动了激光科学、材料科学、热科学和超分子化学的发展，推动了纳米制造领域的发展。高效催化剂在化学工艺、金属-空气电池、柔性电子产品和燃料电池等领域发挥着重要作用，极大地提高了美国在全球市场上的工业竞争力，促进了美国的经济增长，并加强了国家安全。这项资助面向化学和工程专业未被充分代表的少数族裔学生。为了激发高中女生对科学和工程的兴趣，计划通过“密苏里大学女性工程师和科学家日”等拓展项目来改善当地的STEM教育。该项目旨在建立一个计算和实验框架，以研究激光如何诱导金属有机纳米胶囊的分解，并促进反应物中间体的成核，从而在石墨烯支撑上形成亚纳米团簇。研究了金属有机纳米胶囊的尺寸（1 ~ 2纳米）对纳米团簇微观结构的影响，以及载体对其生长动力学的影响。从这项研究中继承了一系列技术的发展，自下而上的超分子合成，激光诱导热解的原位催化剂转化，制造机制的分子动力学模拟，制造纳米团簇的形态统计分析，以及表征和确认催化活性位点的分析工具。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award investigates a novel method of making small nanometer-sized clusters from metal organic nanocapsules using laser decomposition. These clusters are assembled on highly conductive graphene supports to form heterogeneous catalysts. The project involves experimental investigations of the nucleation, growth and stabilization of these clusters supported by computational modeling. This project leads to progress in laser science, material science, thermal science, and supramolecular chemistry, all of which advances the field of nanomanufacturing. The availability high-efficiency catalysts are important in chemical processes, metal-air batteries, flexible electronics and fuel cells, which greatly enhances U.S. industrial competitiveness in global markets, increases U.S. economic growth, and strengthens national security. This grant engages underrepresented minority students in chemistry and engineering. It has plans to improve local STEM education through an outreach programs such as Women Engineer and Scientist Day at Mizzou to stimulate high school girls' interests in science and engineering.The project seeks to establish a computational and experimental framework to investigate how the laser induces the decomposition of metal organic nanocapsules and promotes nucleation of reactant intermediates to form sub-nanometer clusters on graphene support. Studies are conducted on the effects of the size of metal organic nanocapsules, which ranges from 1-2 nanometers, on the microstructures of the fabricated nanoclusters, and the effects of the support on their growth kinetics. Inherited from the study is the development of a serial of technique, bottom up supramolecular synthesis, in-situ catalyst conversion by laser-induced pyrolysis, molecular dynamics simulations of the fabrication mechanism, statistical analysis on the morphology of the fabricated nanoclusters, and analytical tools for characterizing and confirming the catalytic active sites.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.