Ligand Reorganization on Au Nanoclusters Boosts Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

Ligands are frequently employed to control nanocrystal nucleation and growth at the atomic scale; however, they often block active metal sites, limiting catalytic performance. In a recent pioneering study ( doi.org/10.1002/anov.70001 ), Zhu et al. revealed that ligand reorganization can both control Au nanocluster growth and boost electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction by creating additional mass transport channels to improve metal site accessibility.