Chapter 15
Future Directions
As metal clusters provide complementary active sites for surface catalysis and reactions, there is future promising potential to create unique compounds with tailored
properties where one atom site makes a difference. On this basis, one of the prime
objectives of cluster science is to lay the foundation for forming sub-nano materials
via assembly of stable cluster building blocks or varied size and composition. This
pursuit is recognized as one of the most promising frontiers in nanoscience, and
has been realized by soft-landing deposition technique. Numerous studies have been
conducted on solid-supported clusters revealing valuable applications in catalysis,
typically redox reactions on electrodes. Also, there are ongoing efforts devoted to
elucidating interactions occurring within heterogeneous catalytic systems, providing
a dearth of knowledge pertaining to structure-reactivity relationships. The investigations of solid-supported clusters are anticipated to bloom with the rapid development of electron microscope technology, especially spherical aberration electron microscopy and frozen electron microscopy, as well as scanning tunneling
microscopy. In particular, extensive experimental studies of metal cluster catalysis
from wet chemistry synthesis have been conducted enabling to unravel the intrinsic
mechanisms of metal nanoparticles at reduced precise sizes [1, 2].
One of the areas where future catalysts are going to play an important role is the
green energy. For example, Methane from shale and biomass resources is emerging
as an important feedstock for the fuel, chemical, and power industries. Methane
needs to be converted to high-value liquid fuels and chemicals for utilization. The
traditional approach to methane conversion is based on oxidation to syngas (CO +
H 2 ) followed by Fischer Tropsch synthesis to higher hydrocarbons. This two-step
process has an inherent inefficiency since the breaking of all methane C–H bonds to
produce syngas in the first step must be substantially reversed in the second step to
produce hydrocarbons, thus resulting in low energy efficiency and high capital-cost.
There is a critical need to develop direct pathways to convert methane into high-value
liquid aromatics and one possibility is to use single-atom and metal cluster catalysts.
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Z. Luo and S. N. Khanna, Metal Clusters and Their Reactivity,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9704-6_15
265
Future Directions
As metal clusters provide complementary active sites for surface catalysis and reactions, there is future promising potential to create unique compounds with tailored
properties where one atom site makes a difference. On this basis, one of the prime
objectives of cluster science is to lay the foundation for forming sub-nano materials
via assembly of stable cluster building blocks or varied size and composition. This
pursuit is recognized as one of the most promising frontiers in nanoscience, and
has been realized by soft-landing deposition technique. Numerous studies have been
conducted on solid-supported clusters revealing valuable applications in catalysis,
typically redox reactions on electrodes. Also, there are ongoing efforts devoted to
elucidating interactions occurring within heterogeneous catalytic systems, providing
a dearth of knowledge pertaining to structure-reactivity relationships. The investigations of solid-supported clusters are anticipated to bloom with the rapid development of electron microscope technology, especially spherical aberration electron microscopy and frozen electron microscopy, as well as scanning tunneling
microscopy. In particular, extensive experimental studies of metal cluster catalysis
from wet chemistry synthesis have been conducted enabling to unravel the intrinsic
mechanisms of metal nanoparticles at reduced precise sizes [1, 2].
One of the areas where future catalysts are going to play an important role is the
green energy. For example, Methane from shale and biomass resources is emerging
as an important feedstock for the fuel, chemical, and power industries. Methane
needs to be converted to high-value liquid fuels and chemicals for utilization. The
traditional approach to methane conversion is based on oxidation to syngas (CO +
H 2 ) followed by Fischer Tropsch synthesis to higher hydrocarbons. This two-step
process has an inherent inefficiency since the breaking of all methane C–H bonds to
produce syngas in the first step must be substantially reversed in the second step to
produce hydrocarbons, thus resulting in low energy efficiency and high capital-cost.
There is a critical need to develop direct pathways to convert methane into high-value
liquid aromatics and one possibility is to use single-atom and metal cluster catalysts.
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
Z. Luo and S. N. Khanna, Metal Clusters and Their Reactivity,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9704-6_15
265