Truly Monodisperse Molecular Nanoparticles of Cerium Dioxide of 2.4 nm dimensions: A {Ce<sub>100</sub>O<sub>167</sub>} Cluster
Bradley Russell‐Webster, Javi Lopez‐Nieto, Khalil A. Abboud, George Christou
Abstract
Abstract Ultra‐small nanoparticles of CeO 2 obtained in molecular form, so‐called molecular nanoparticles, have been limited to date to a family whose largest member is of nuclearity Ce 40 with a {Ce 40 O 58 } core atom count. Herein we report that a synthetic procedure has been developed to the cation [Ce 100 O 149 (OH) 18 (O 2 CPh) 60 (PhCO 2 H) 12 (H 2 O) 20 ] 16+ , a member with a much higher Ce 100 nuclearity and a {Ce 100 O 167 } core that is more akin to the smallest ceria nanoparticles. Its crystal structure reveals it to possess a 2.4 nm size and high D 2d symmetry, and it has also allowed identification of core surface features including facet composition, the presence and location of Ce 3+ and H + (i.e. HO − ) ions, and the binding modes of the ligand monolayer of benzoate, benzoic acid, and water ligands.