Fig. 2: Analysis of the multiple-roles played by the reductant. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: Analysis of the multiple-roles played by the reductant.

From: Unveiling reductant chemistry in fabricating noble metal aerogels for superior oxygen evolution and ethanol oxidation

Fig. 2: Analysis of the multiple-roles played by the reductant.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a–c TEM images and photographs (insets) of the resulting gold materials for NaBH4/gold ratios of 1/1, 4/1, and 100/1, and d the function(s) of NaBH4 exhibited in the respective systems. e The ligament size of the gold gels vs. the NaBH4/gold ratio (error bars depict the standard deviation). f The peak position at maximum absorption (from UV-vis absorption spectra) vs. the reductant/gold ratio for different reductants. g Theoretically calculated binding energies between the gold atom and various anions. h The proposed mechanisms for the excessive NaBH4-directed gelation process. The scale bars are 50 nm in a–c.

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