Ligand-exchange synthesis of selenophenolate-capped Au25 nanoclusters

Synthesis of a Au44(SR)28 nanocluster: structure prediction and evolution from Au28(SR)20, Au36(SR)24 to Au44(SR)28

We report the synthesis of a Au44(SR)28 nanocluster (SR = 4-tert-butylbenzenethiolate). Based on the structural rules learned from the known Au28(SR)20 and Au36(SR)24 structures, we propose a plausible structure for Au44(SR)28, which is predicted to comprise a six-interpenetrating cuboctahedral Au36 kernel protected by four dimeric staples and sixteen bridging thiolates, i.e. Au36[Au2(SR)3]4(SR)16.

Thiol ligand-induced transformation of Au38(SC2H4Ph)24 to Au36(SPh-t-Bu)24

We report a disproportionation mechanism identified in the transformation of rod-like biicosahedral Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 to tetrahedral Au36(TBBT)24 nanoclusters. Time-dependent mass spectrometry and optical spectroscopy analyses unambiguously map out the detailed size-conversion pathway. The ligand exchange of Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 with bulkier 4-tert-butylbenzenethiol (TBBT) until a certain extent starts to trigger structural distortion of the initial biicosahedral Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 structure, leading to the release of two Au atoms and eventually the Au36(TBBT)24 nanocluster with a tetrahedral structure, in which process the number of ligands is interestingly preserved. The other product of the disproportionation process, i.e., Au40(TBBT)m+2(SCH2CH2Ph)24-m, was concurrently observed as an intermediate, which was the result of addition of two Au atoms and two TBBT ligands to Au38(TBBT)m(SCH2CH2Ph)24-m. The reaction kinetics on the Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 to Au36(TBBT)24 conversion process was also performed, and the activation energies of the structural distortion and disproportionation steps were estimated to be 76 and 94 kJ/mol, respectively. The optical absorption features of Au36(TBBT)24 are interpreted on the basis of density functional theory simulations.

One-pot synthesis of phenylmethanethiolate-protected Au20(SR)16 and Au24(SR)20 nanoclusters and insight into the kinetic control

We report two synthetic routes for concurrent formation of phenylmethanethiolate (-SCH2Ph)-protected Au20(SR)16 and Au24(SR)24 nanoclusters in one-pot by kinetic control. Unlike the previously reported methods for thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters, which typically involve rapid reduction of the gold precursor by excess NaBH4 and subsequent size focusing into atomically monodisperse clusters of a specific size, the present work reveals some insight into the kinetic control in gold-thiolate cluster synthesis. We demonstrate that the synthesis of -SCH2Ph-protected Au20 and Au24 nanoclusters can be obtained through two different, kinetically controlled methods. Specifically, route 1 employs slow addition of a relatively large amount of NaBH4 under slow stirring of the reaction mixture, while route 2 employs rapid addition of a small amount of NaBH4 under rapid stirring of the reaction mixture. At first glance, these two methods apparently possess quite different reaction kinetics, but interestingly they give rise to exactly the same product (i.e., the coproduction of Au20(SCH2Ph)16 and Au24(SCH2Ph)20 clusters). Our results explicitly demonstrate the complex interplay between the kinetic factors that include the addition speed and amount of NaBH4 solution as well as the stirring speed of the reaction mixture. Such insight is important for devising synthetic routes for different sized nanoclusters. We also compared the photoluminescence and electrochemical properties of PhCH2S-protected Au20 and Au24 nanoclusters with the PhC2H4S-protected counterparts. A surprising 2.5 times photoluminescence enhancement was observed for the PhCH2S-capped nanoclusters when compared to the PhC2H4S-capped analogues, thereby indicating a drastic effect of the ligand that is merely one carbon shorter.

Synthesis of selenolate-protected Au18(SeC6H5)14 nanoclusters

This work reports the first synthesis of selenophenolate-protected Au(18)(SePh)(14) nanoclusters. This cluster exhibits distinct differences from its thiolate analogue in terms of optical absorption properties. The Au(18)(SePh)(14) nanoclusters were obtained via a controlled reaction of Au(25)(SCH(2)CH(2)Ph)(18) with selenophenol. Electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) revealed the crude product to contain predominantly Au(18)(SePh)(14) nanoclusters, and side products include Au(15)(SePh)(13), Au(19)(SePh)(15) and Au(20)(SePh)(16). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to isolate Au(18)(SePh)(14) nanoclusters. The results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis (EA), and (1)H/(13)C NMR spectroscopy confirmed the cluster composition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of selenolate-protected Au(18) nanoclusters. Future theoretical and X-ray crystallographic work will reveal the geometric structure and the nature of selenolate-gold bonding in the nanocluster.

Ligand-Induced Stability of Gold Nanoclusters: Thiolate versus Selenolate

Thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters have attracted considerable attention as building blocks for new functional materials and have been extensively researched. Some studies have reported that changing the ligand of these gold nanoclusters from thiolate to selenolate increases cluster stability. To confirm this, in this study, we compare the stabilities of precisely synthesized [Au25(SC8H17)18](-) and [Au25(SeC8H17)18](-) against degradation in solution, thermal dissolution, and laser fragmentation. The results demonstrate that changing the ligand from thiolate to selenolate increases cluster stability in reactions involving dissociation of the gold-ligand bond but reduces cluster stability in reactions involving intramolecular dissociation of the ligand. These results reveal that using selenolate ligands makes it possible to produce gold clusters that are more stable against degradation in solution than thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters.