Nanoclusters of gold on a high-area support: almost uniform nanoclusters imaged by scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Highly dispersed supported gold offers unprecedented catalytic properties. Determination of the dependence of the catalytic properties on the gold nanocluster size requires the preparation of size-controlled gold nanoclusters on support surfaces with a high degree of uniformity. Starting from site-isolated mononuclear gold complexes on high-area MgO, we demonstrate the preparation of gold clusters consisting of <10 atoms. These samples have been imaged with atomic resolution by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The images show that treatment of the supported mononuclear complexes at 318 K in flowing helium caused aggregation of the gold into clusters of 2-6 atoms, present with unconverted individual site-isolated mononuclear gold species and in the absence of any larger nanoparticles. Treatment of the sample at a higher temperature (373 K) in flowing helium resulted in the formation of gold clusters with diameters of 0.58 +/- 0.15 nm (containing roughly 10 Au atoms), again in the absence of larger nanoparticles. Upon exposure of the supported nanoclusters to the electron beam, they underwent aggregation to gold clusters approximately 1 nm in average diameter, as shown in consecutive STEM images.