1
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Nanomechanical and structural study of Au38 nanocluster Langmuir-Blodgett films using bimodal atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 630:28-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.10.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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2
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Shao P, Zhang H, Ding LP, He QL, Zhao YR, Kuang FG, Kang SY. Effect of Ligand Structures on Ligand-Protected Gold Clusters: [Au-( p-/ m-/ o-MBT)] 1-8 Clusters. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:7193-7201. [PMID: 36194534 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c05267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The controllable preparation of ligand-protected clusters is still an unresolved problem, which may be due to that their formation mechanism is unclear. We propose that the ligand is the key to solve the above problems. Here, by using p-, m-, and o-methylbenzenethiol ligand protected gold clusters as examples, we try to explore the effect of ligand structures on ligand-protected gold clusters. The geometrical structures, relative stabilities and surface properties of small-sized ligand-protected gold clusters [Au-SR]1-8 (SR = p-/m-/o-MBT) have been systematically studied based on the density functional theory. The results show that the ground state structures of [Au-SR]1-8 clusters tend to form closed rings except for [Au-SR]1,2. The different structures of ligand have significant effect on the structures and stabilities of ligand-protected clusters. By analyzing their surface properties and possible growth patterns, it is found that [Au-SR]1,2 clusters serve as the basic building blocks, and the larger clusters can be regarded as the combinations of them. This study provides some insights into the effect of ligands on ligand-protected clusters, which is useful for understanding the formation mechanism of ligand-protected clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Shao
- Department of Physics, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an710021, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Physics, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an710021, China
| | - Li-Ping Ding
- Department of Optoelectronic Science & Technology, School of Electronic Information and Artificial Intelligence, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an710021, China
| | - Qi-Long He
- Department of Physics, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi'an710021, China
| | - Ya-Ru Zhao
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji721016, China
| | - Fang-Guang Kuang
- School of Physics and Electronic Information, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou341000, China
| | - Shu-Ying Kang
- School of Physics and Electronic Information, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou341000, China
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3
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Yan C, Yi J, Wang P, Li D, Cheng L. Assembling Au 4 Tetrahedra to 2D and 3D Superatomic Crystals Based on Superatomic-Network Model. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:32708-32716. [PMID: 36120006 PMCID: PMC9476519 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters (denoted as Au m (SR) n or Au n L m ) have received extensive attention both experimentally and theoretically. Understanding the growth mode of the Au4 unit in Au m (SR) n is of great significance for experimental synthesis and the search for new gold clusters. In this work, we first build six clusters of Au7(AuCl2)3, Au12(AuCl2)4, Au16(AuCl2)6, Au22(AuCl2)6, and Au30(AuCl2)6 with the Au4 unit as the basic building blocks. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that these newly designed clusters have high structural and electronic stabilities. Based on chemical bonding analysis, the electronic structures of these clusters follow the superatom network (SAN) model. Inspired by the cluster structures, we further predicted an Au4 two-dimensional (2D) monolayer and a three-dimensional (3D) crystal using graphene and diamond as templates, respectively. The computational results demonstrate that the two structures have high dynamic, thermal, and mechanical stabilities, and both structures exhibit metallic properties according to the band structures calculated at the HSE06 level. The chemical bonding analysis by the solid-state natural density partitioning (SSAdNDP) method indicates that they are superatomic crystals assembled by two electron Au4 - superatoms. With this construction strategy, the new bonding pattern and properties of Au n L m are studied and the structure types of gold are enriched.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yan
- Department
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials of
Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
| | - Jiuqi Yi
- Department
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials of
Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
| | - Peng Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials of
Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
| | - Dan Li
- Department
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials of
Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
| | - Longjiu Cheng
- Department
of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials of
Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, P. R. China
- Key
Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Hefei 230601, P. R. China
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4
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Han W, Wang E, Xu WW. New structural insights into the stability of Au 22(SR) 16 nanocluster under ring model guidance. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:15920-15924. [PMID: 35758327 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00421f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This study presents thorough structural insights into the stability of crystallized Au22(SAdm)16 (HSAdm = 1-adamantanethiol) nanocluster. With the recently developed Ring Model for describing the interaction between inner gold cores and outer protecting ligands in thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters, the experimental spontaneous transformation from the crystallized Au22(SAdm)16 to Au21(SAdm)15 could be well understood as structurally unfavorable for the current Au22(SAdm)16 and could also be attributed to the weaker aurophilic interaction between the inner Au4 core and the surrounding rings in Au22(SAdm)16 over that in Au21(SAdm)15. Furthermore, with the Ring Model and the grand unified model, two new Au22(SCH3)16 isomers with evident lower energies, higher HOMO-LUMO gaps as well as distinct optical properties over the available crystallized isomer were obtained. This study deepens the current knowledge on the structure of the Au22(SR)16 cluster from a new structural point of view and also confirms the validity as well as practicability of the Ring Model in understanding and predicting the stable structures of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhua Han
- Department of Physics, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
| | - Endong Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Wen Wu Xu
- Department of Physics, School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China.
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5
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Matus MF, Häkkinen H. Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters: Towards an Optimal Biocompatible System from a Theoretical-Experimental Strategy. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2005499. [PMID: 33533179 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202005499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Potential biomedical applications of gold nanoparticles have increasingly been reported with great promise for diagnosis and therapy of several diseases. However, for such a versatile nanomaterial, the advantages and potential health risks need to be addressed carefully, as the available information about their toxicity is limited and inconsistent. Atomically precise gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have emerged to overcome this challenge due to their unique features, such as superior stability, excellent biocompatibility, and efficient renal clearance. Remarkably, the elucidation of their structural and physicochemical properties provided by theory-experiment investigations offers exciting opportunities for site-specific biofunctionalization of the nanoparticle surface, which remains a significant concern for most of the materials in the biomedical field. This concept highlights the advantages conferred by atomically precise AuNCs for biomedical applications and the powerful strategy combining computational and experimental studies towards finding an optimal biocompatible AuNCs-based nanosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Francisca Matus
- Department of Physics, Nanoscience Center (NSC), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Finland
| | - Hannu Häkkinen
- Departments of Physics and Chemistry, Nanoscience Center (NSC), University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FI-40014, Finland
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6
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Zhang JX, Sheong FK, Lin Z. Superatomic Ligand-Field Splitting in Ligated Gold Nanoclusters. Inorg Chem 2020; 59:8864-8870. [PMID: 32538629 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c00649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Gold nanoclusters are attractive because of their electronic and optical properties. Many theoretical models have been proposed to explain their electronic structures through an electron-counting approach. However, subtle features may not be well explained by electron-counting rules. In this work, we have discovered a unique example of ligand-controlled skeletal bonding in two recently reported gold nanoclusters with very similar compositions and geometries. We have shown that the superatomic orbitals of the common kernel of the two clusters undergo different ligand-field splitting because of the different ligand-field strengths in the two clusters. Such a difference is clearly revealed by constructing the Jellium orbitals via an orbital alignment process, and a subsequent localization of the Jellium orbitals allows us to obtain localized bonding models. Finally, on the basis of localized bonding models, we predict the existence of a ligated gold cluster with a [Au32]4+ kernel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Xuan Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong China
| | - Fu Kit Sheong
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong China.,Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong China
| | - Zhenyang Lin
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong China
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7
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Kuda-Singappulige GU, Aikens CM. Geometrical and Electronic Structure, Stability, and Optical Absorption Spectra Comparisons between Thiolate- and Chloride-Stabilized Gold Nanoclusters. J Phys Chem A 2019; 123:9712-9720. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b06598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Christine M. Aikens
- Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
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8
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Tian Z, Xu Y, Cheng L. New Perspectives on the Electronic and Geometric Structure of Au 70S 20(PPh 3) 12 Cluster: Superatomic-Network Core Protected by Novel Au 12(µ 3-S) 10 Staple Motifs. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2019; 9:E1132. [PMID: 31390811 PMCID: PMC6722785 DOI: 10.3390/nano9081132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In order to increase the understanding of the recently synthesized Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster, we used the divide and protect concept and superatom network model (SAN) to study the electronic and geometric of the cluster. According to the experimental coordinates of the cluster, the study of Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster was carried out using density functional theory calculations. Based on the superatom complex (SAC) model, the number of the valence electrons of the cluster is 30. It is not the number of valence electrons satisfied for a magic cluster. According to the concept of divide and protect, Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster can be viewed as Au-core protected by various staple motifs. On the basis of SAN model, the Au-core is composed of a union of 2e-superatoms, and 2e-superatoms can be Au3, Au4, Au5, or Au6. Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster should contain fifteen 2e-superatoms on the basis of SAN model. On analyzing the chemical bonding features of Au70S20(PPh3)12, we showed that the electronic structure of it has a network of fifteen 2e-superatoms, abbreviated as 15 × 2e SAN. On the basis of the divide and protect concept, Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster can be viewed as Au4616+[Au12(µ3-S)108-]2[PPh3]12. The Au4616+ core is composed of one Au2212+ innermost core and ten surrounding 2e-Au4 superatoms. The Au2212+ innermost core can either be viewed as a network of five 2e-Au6 superatoms, or be considered as a 10e-superatomic molecule. This new segmentation method can properly explain the structure and stability of Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster. A novel extended staple motif [Au12(µ3-S)10]8- was discovered, which is a half-cage with ten µ3-S units and six teeth. The six teeth staple motif enriches the family of staple motifs in ligand-protected Au clusters. Au70S20(PPh3)12 cluster derives its stability from SAN model and aurophilic interactions. Inspired by the half-cage motif, we design three core-in-cage clusters with cage staple motifs, Cu6@Au12(μ3-S)8, Ag6@Au12(μ3-S)8 and Au6@Au12(μ3-S)8, which exhibit high thermostability and may be synthesized in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimei Tian
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China
- School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236037, Anhui, China
| | - Yangyang Xu
- School of Social and Public Administration, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Longjiu Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, Anhui, China.
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9
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Du Y, Sheng H, Astruc D, Zhu M. Atomically Precise Noble Metal Nanoclusters as Efficient Catalysts: A Bridge between Structure and Properties. Chem Rev 2019; 120:526-622. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 526] [Impact Index Per Article: 105.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxin Du
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Hongting Sheng
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Didier Astruc
- Université de Bordeaux, ISM, UMR CNRS 5255, Talence 33405 Cedex, France
| | - Manzhou Zhu
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
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10
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Xu WW, Zeng XC, Gao Y. Application of Electronic Counting Rules for Ligand-Protected Gold Nanoclusters. Acc Chem Res 2018; 51:2739-2747. [PMID: 30289239 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.8b00324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Understanding special stability of numerous ligand-protected gold nanoclusters has always been an active area of research. In the past few decades, several theoretical models, including the polyhedral skeletal electron pair theory (PSEPT), superatom complex (SAC), and superatom network (SAN), among others, have been developed for better understanding the stabilities and structures of selected ligand-protected gold nanoclusters. This Account overviews the recently proposed grand unified model (GUM) to offer some new insights into the structures and growth mechanism of nearly all crystallized and predicted ligand-protected gold nanoclusters. The main conceptual advancement of the GUM is identification of the duet and octet rules on the basis of the "big data" of 70+ reported ligand-protected gold nanoclusters. According to the two empirical rules, the cores of the gold nanoclusters can be regarded as being composed of two kinds of elementary blocks (namely, triangle Au3 and tetrahedron Au4), each having 2 e closed-shell valence electrons (referred as Au3(2 e) and Au4(2 e)), as well as the secondary block (icosahedron Au13) with 8 e closed-shell valence electrons (referred as Au13(8 e)). The two elementary blocks (Au3(2 e) and Au4(2 e)) and the secondary block (Au13(8 e)), from electron counting point of view, can be regarded as an analogy of the highly stable noble-gas atoms of He and Ne, respectively. In each elementary block, the Au atoms exhibit three different valence-electron states (i.e., 1 e, 0.5 e, and 0 e), depending on the type of ligands bonded with these Au atoms. Such three valence-electron states are coined as three "flavors" of gold (namely, bottom, middle, and top "flavor"), a term borrowed from the quark model in the particle physics. Upon application of the duet and octet rules with accounting the three valence states of gold atoms, the Au3(2 e), Au4(2 e), and Au13(8 e) blocks can exhibit 10 (denoted as Δ1-Δ10), 15 (denoted as T1-T15), and 91 (denoted as I1-I91) variants of valence states, respectively. When packing these blocks (with distinct electronic states) together, it forms the gold core of ligand-protected gold nanocluster. As such, the special stabilities of the ligand-protected gold nanoclusters are explained based on the local stability of each block. With GUM, rich and complex structures of ligand-protected gold nanoclusters have been analyzed through structure anatomy. Moreover, the growth of these clusters can be simply viewed as sequential addition of the blocks, rather than as addition of the gold atoms. Another useful application of the GUM is to analyze the structural isomerism. The three types of isomerism for the gold nanoclusters, i.e., core, staple, and complex isomerism, can be considered as an analogy of chain, point, and functional isomerism (known in organic chemistry), respectively. GUM can be applied to predict new clusters, thereby guiding experimental synthesis. Indeed, a number of ligand-protected gold nanoclusters with high stabilities were rationally designed based on the GUM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Wu Xu
- Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
| | - Xiao Cheng Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, United States
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yi Gao
- Division of Interfacial Water and Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
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Chiriki S, Jindal S, Singh P, Bulusu SS. Correlation of structure with UV-visible spectra by varying SH composition in Au-SH nanoclusters. J Chem Phys 2018; 149:074307. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5031478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Siva Chiriki
- Discipline of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552, India
| | - Shweta Jindal
- Discipline of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552, India
| | - Priya Singh
- Discipline of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552, India
| | - Satya S. Bulusu
- Discipline of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 453552, India
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12
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Ma M, Liu L, Zhu H, Lu J, Tan G. Structural evolution and properties of small-size thiol-protected gold nanoclusters. Mol Phys 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/00268976.2018.1457804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Ma
- College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
| | - Liren Liu
- College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hengjiang Zhu
- College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Mineral Luminescence Materials and Micro structures of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junzhe Lu
- College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Mineral Luminescence Materials and Micro structures of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guiping Tan
- College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, People’s Republic of China
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