Homo and heterometallic gold(I) clusters with hypercoordinated carbon

Single-gold etching at the hypercarbon atom of C-centred hexagold(I) clusters protected by chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes

Chemical etching of nano-sized metal clusters at the atomic level has a high potential for creating metal number-specific structures and functions that are difficult to achieve with bottom-up synthesis methods. In particular, precisely etching metal atoms one by one from nonmetallic element-centred metal clusters and elucidating the relationship between their well-defined structures, and chemical and physical properties will facilitate future materials design for metal clusters. Here we report the single-gold etching at a hypercarbon centre in gold(I) clusters. Specifically, C-centred hexagold(I) clusters protected by chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes are etched with bisphosphine to yield C-centred pentagold(I) (CAuI5) clusters. The CAuI5 clusters exhibit an unusually large bathochromic shift in luminescence, which is reproduced theoretically. The etching mechanism is experimentally and theoretically suggested to be a tandem dissociation-association-elimination pathway. Furthermore, the vacant site of the central carbon of the CAuI5 cluster can accommodate AuCl, allowing for post-functionalisation of the C-centred gold(I) clusters.

Chemical Flexibility of Atomically Precise Metal Clusters

Ligand-protected metal clusters possess hybrid properties that seamlessly combine an inorganic core with an organic ligand shell, imparting them exceptional chemical flexibility and unlocking remarkable application potential in diverse fields. Leveraging chemical flexibility to expand the library of available materials and stimulate the development of new functionalities is becoming an increasingly pressing requirement. This Review focuses on the origin of chemical flexibility from the structural analysis, including intra-cluster bonding, inter-cluster interactions, cluster-environments interactions, metal-to-ligand ratios, and thermodynamic effects. In the introduction, we briefly outline the development of metal clusters and explain the differences and commonalities of M(I)/M(I/0) coinage metal clusters. Additionally, we distinguish the bonding characteristics of metal atoms in the inorganic core, which give rise to their distinct chemical flexibility. Section 2 delves into the structural analysis, bonding categories, and thermodynamic theories related to metal clusters. In the following sections 3 to 7, we primarily elucidate the mechanisms that trigger chemical flexibility, the dynamic processes in transformation, the resultant alterations in structure, and the ensuing modifications in physical-chemical properties. Section 8 presents the notable applications that have emerged from utilizing metal clusters and their assemblies. Finally, in section 9, we discuss future challenges and opportunities within this area.

Photoluminescence Quenching of Hydrophobic Ag29 Nanoclusters Caused by Molecular Decoupling during Aqueous Phase Transfer and EmissionRecovery through Supramolecular Recoupling

Exploiting emissive hydrophobic nanoclusters for hydrophilic applications remains a challenge because of photoluminescence (PL) quenching during phase transfer. In addition, the mechanism underlying PL quenching remains unclear. In this study, the PL-quenching mechanism was examined by analyzing the atomically precise structures and optical properties of a surface-engineered Ag29 nanocluster with an all-around-carboxyl-functionalized surface. Specifically, phase-transfer-triggered PL quenching was justified as molecular decoupling, which directed an unfixed cluster surface and weakened the radiative transition. Furthermore, emission recovery of the quenched nanoclusters was accomplished by using a supramolecular recoupling approach through the glutathione-addition-induced aggregation of cluster molecules, wherein the restriction of intracluster motion and intercluster rotation strengthened the radiative transition of the clusters. The results of this work offer a new perspective on structure-emission correlations for atomically precise nanoclusters and hopefully provide insight into the fabrication of highly emissive cluster-based nanomaterials for downstream hydrophilic applications.

Parasitism in Metal Nanoclusters: A Case Study of (AuAg)25·(AuAg)27

Studying the interactions of atomically precise metal nanoclusters in their assembly systems is of great significance in the nanomaterial research field, which has attracted increasing interest in the last few decades. Herein, we report the cocrystallization of two oppositely charged atomically precise metal nanoclusters in one unit cell: [Au1Ag24(SR)18]- ((AuAg)25 for short) and [AuxAg27-x(Dppf)4(SR)9]2+ (x = 10-12; (AuAg)27 for short) with a 1:1 ratio. (AuAg)27 could maintain its structure in the presence of (AuAg)25, whether in the crystalline and the solution state, while the metastable (AuAg)27 component underwent a spontaneous transformation to (AuAg)16(Dppf)2(SR)8 after dissociating the (AuAg)25 component from this cocrystal, demonstrating the "parasitism" relationship of the (AuAg)27 component over (AuAg)25 in this dual-cluster system. This work enriches the family of cluster-based assemblies and elucidates the delicate relationship between nanoparticles of cocrystals.

Biomimetic crystallization for long-pursued -COOH-functionalized gold nanocluster with near-infrared phosphorescence

As an interdisciplinary product, water-soluble gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) stabilized by ligands containing carboxyl (-COOH) group have garnered significant attention from synthetic chemists and biologists due to their immense potential for biomedical applications. However, revealing the crystallographic structures of -COOH-functionalized AuNCs remains a bottleneck. Herein, we successfully applied the salting-out method to obtain a series of high-quality single crystals of -COOH-functionalized Au25 nanoclusters and revealed their crystallographic structures. Particularly, K3Au25(2-Hmna)9(mna)6]- (Au25a) protected by 2-mercaptonicotinic acid features an unprecedented tetrameric Au4(SRS)3(SRS,N)2 staple motifs surrounding the icosahedral Au13 kernel, breaking the traditional perception on the structure of Au25(SR)18. Au25a exhibits a distinct near-infrared emission at 970 nm with long lifetime of 8690 ns, which have been studied by transient absorption spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory. This work compensates for the research gap in the experimental structure of -COOH-functionalized AuNCs and opens up a new avenue to explore their structure-property correlations.

Bulk Passivation Enables Hundredfold-Enhanced Electroluminescence of Monophosphine Cu4 I4 Cubes

Electroluminescent (EL) clusters emerged rapidly, owing to their organic-inorganic hybrid character useful for comprehensive performance integration and the potential for large-scale display and lighting applications. However, despite their good photoluminescent (PL) properties, until present, no efficient EL monodentate ligand-based clusters were reported due to structural variation during processing and excitation and exciton confinement on cluster-centered quenching states. Here we demonstrate an effective bulky passivation strategy for efficient cluster light-emitting diodes with a monophosphine Cu4 I4 cube named [TMeOPP]4 Cu4 I4 . With terminal pyridine groups, an active matrix named TmPyPB supports an effective host-cluster interplay for configuration fixation, structural stabilization, and exciton-confinement optimization. Compared to common inactive hosts, the passivation effects of TmPyPB markedly reduce trap-state densities by 24-40 % to suppress nonradiative decay, resulting in state-of-the-art PL and EL quantum yields reaching 99 % and 15.6 %, respectively, which are significantly improved by about 7-fold. TmPyPB simultaneously increases EL luminance to 104 nits, which is ≈100-fold that of the non-doped analogue.

Interfacial Passivation Enormously Enhances Electroluminescence of Triphenylphosphine Cu4 I4 Cube

Defect is one of the key factors limiting optoelectronic performances of organic-inorganic hybrid systems. Although high-efficiency bidentate ligands based electroluminescent (EL) clusters reported, until present, only few EL clusters based on monodentate ligands are realized since their structural instability induces more surface/interface defects. Herein, this bottleneck is first overcome in virtue of interfacial passivation by electron transporting layers (ETL). Through using TmPyPB with meta-linked pyridines as ETL, photoluminescent (PL) and EL quantum efficiencies of the simplest monophosphine Cu4 I4 cube [TPP]4 Cu4 I4 are greatly improved by ≈2 and 23 folds, respectively, as well as ≈200 folds increased luminance, corresponding to a huge leap from nearly unlighted (<20 nits) to highly bright (>3000 nits). The passivation effect of TmPyPB on surface defects of cluster layer is embodied as preventing interfacial charge trapping and suppressing exciton nonradiation.

Probing the surface-active sites of metal nanoclusters with atomic precision: a case study of Au5Ag11

The determination of surface-active sites in metal nanoclusters is of great significance for the in-depth understanding of structural evolutions and physicochemical property mechanisms. In this work, the surface-active sites of the Au5Ag11(DMBT)8(DPPOE)2 cluster template towards metal-/ligand-exchange reactions were unambiguously identified at the atomic level. The active-site tailoring of this nanocluster gave rise to three derivative nanoclusters, Au5Ag9Cu2(DMBT)8(DPPOE)2, Au5Ag11(DMBT)6(DCBT)2(DPPOE)2, and Au5Ag11(DCBT)8(DPPOE)2. The single-crystal structural analysis revealed that all these M16 (M = Au/Ag/Cu) clusters exhibited almost the same framework. Besides, the surface-active site tailoring contributed to significant changes in optical absorptions and emissions of these metal nanoclusters. The findings in this work not only provide an in-depth understanding of the active-site tailoring of cluster surface structures but also develop an intriguing template that enables us to grasp the structure-property correlations at the atomic level.

Photoluminescence control by atomically precise surface metallization of C-centered hexagold(i) clusters using N-heterocyclic carbenes

The properties of metal clusters are highly dependent on their molecular surface structure. The aim of this study is to precisely metallize and rationally control the photoluminescence properties of a carbon(C)-centered hexagold(i) cluster (CAu^I₆) using N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with one pyridyl, or one or two picolyl pendants and a specific number of silver(i) ions at the cluster surface. The results suggest that the photoluminescence of the clusters depends highly on both the rigidity and coverage of the surface structure. In other words, the loss of structural rigidity significantly reduces the quantum yield (QY). The QY in CH₂Cl₂ is 0.04 for [(C)(Au^I-BIPc)₆Ag^I₃(CH₃CN)₃](BF₄)₅ (BIPc = N-isopropyl-N'-2-picolylbenzimidazolylidene), a significant decrease from 0.86 for [(C)(Au^I-BIPy)₆Ag^I₂](BF₄)₄ (BIPy = N-isopropyl-N'-2-pyridylbenzimidazolylidene). This is due to the lower structural rigidity of the ligand BIPc because it contains a methylene linker. Increasing the number of capping Ag^I ions, i.e., the coverage of the surface structure, increases the phosphorescence efficiency. The QY for [(C)(Au^I-BIPc²)₆Ag^I₄(CH₃CN)₂](BF₄)₆ (BIPc² = N,N'-di(2-pyridyl)benzimidazolylidene) recovers to 0.40, 10-times that of the cluster with BIPc. Further theoretical calculations confirm the roles of Ag^I and NHC in the electronic structures. This study reveals the atomic-level surface structure-property relationships of heterometallic clusters.

Intramolecular charge transfer enables highly-efficient X-ray luminescence in cluster scintillators

Luminescence clusters composed of organic ligands and metals have gained significant interests as scintillators owing to their great potential in high X-ray absorption, customizable radioluminescence, and solution processability at low temperatures. However, X-ray luminescence efficiency in clusters is primarily governed by the competition between radiative states from organic ligands and nonradiative cluster-centered charge transfer. Here we report that a class of Cu₄I₄ cubes exhibit highly emissive radioluminescence in response to X-ray irradiation through functionalizing biphosphine ligands with acridine. Mechanistic studies show that these clusters can efficiently absorb radiation ionization to generate electron-hole pairs and transfer them to ligands during thermalization for efficient radioluminescence through precise control over intramolecular charge transfer. Our experimental results indicate that copper/iodine-to-ligand and intraligand charge transfer states are predominant in radiative processes. We demonstrate that photoluminescence and electroluminescence quantum efficiencies of the clusters reach 95% and 25.6%, with the assistance of external triplet-to-singlet conversion by a thermally activated delayed fluorescence matrix. We further show the utility of the Cu₄I₄ scintillators in achieving a lowest X-ray detection limit of 77 nGy s^-1 and a high X-ray imaging resolution of 12 line pairs per millimeter. Our study offers insights into universal luminescent mechanism and ligand engineering of cluster scintillators.

N-Heterocyclic carbene-based C-centered Au(I)-Ag(I) clusters with intense phosphorescence and organelle-selective translocation in cells

Photoluminescent gold clusters are functionally variable chemical modules by ligand design. Chemical modification of protective ligands and introduction of different metals into the gold clusters lead to discover unique chemical and physical properties based on their significantly perturbed electronic structures. Here we report the synthesis of carbon-centered Au(I)-Ag(I) clusters with high phosphorescence quantum yields using N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. Specifically, a heterometallic cluster [(C)(Au^I-L)₆Ag^I₂]⁴⁺, where L denotes benzimidazolylidene-based carbene ligands featuring N-pyridyl substituents, shows a significantly high phosphorescence quantum yield (Φ = 0.88). Theoretical calculations suggest that the carbene ligands accelerate the radiative decay by affecting the spin-orbit coupling, and the benzimidazolylidene ligands further suppress the non-radiative pathway. Furthermore, these clusters with carbene ligands are taken up into cells, emit phosphorescence and translocate to a particular organelle. Such well-defined, highly phosphorescent C-centered Au(I)-Ag(I) clusters will enable ligand-specific, organelle-selective phosphorescence imaging and dynamic analysis of molecular distribution and translocation pathways in cells.

Photoluminescent gold clusters have unique chemical and physical properties based on their perturbed electronic structures. Here, the authors report the synthesis of carbon-centered Au(I)-Ag(I) clusters with high phosphorescence quantum yields using N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.

Pro-oxidant response and accelerated ferroptosis caused by synergetic Au(I) release in hypercarbon-centered gold(I) cluster prodrugs

Medicinal applications of gold complexes have recently attracted attention due to their innovative antitumor mechanisms. In this work, two hypercoordinated carbon-centered gold clusters PAA4 and PAA5 are quantitatively synthesized by an intramolecular 6-exo-dig cyclization of polymetalated precursors. The on-bench and in vitro experimental studies demonstrate that the characteristic hypercarbon-tetragold(I) multi-center bonding in PAA4 and PAA5 not only guarantees their stability under common physiological conditions, but also facilitates a glutathione (GSH)-triggered prompt and synergetic release of active Au(I) ions in the GSH-overexpressed and acidic microenvironment of human bladder cancer EJ cells. The instantly massive release of coordination unsaturated Au(I) ions causes the efficient inhibition of thioredoxin reductases and then induces a rapid pro-oxidant response, consequently causing the occurrence of accelerated ferroptosis of EJ cells. As a result, these hypercarbon-centered gold(I) cluster prodrugs show high cytotoxicity to bladder cancer cell lines and thus exhibit a significant inhibition effect towards bladder tumors in vivo. Correlation of the synergetic domino dissociation of carbon-polymetal multi-center bonding in metal clusters with the accelerated ferroptosis of cancer cells provides a strategy for metallo-prodrugs and opens a broader prospect for the biological application of metal cluster compounds.

Anion-Directed Regulation of Structures and Luminescence of Heterometallic Clusters

Anions have been used to regulate the structures and luminescence of heterometallic clusters. Introducing ClO₄ ^- into orange-emissive, butterfly-like [(C)(Au-PPhpy₂ )₆ Ag₄ ](BF₄ )₆ (1, PPhpy₂ =bis(2-pyridyl)phenylphosphine) leads to the formation of red-emissive [(C)(Au-PPhpy₂ )₆ Ag₅ (ClO₄ )₃ ](ClO₄ )₄ (2) with a novel trigonal bipyramidal structure; employing PhCO₂ ^- gives yellow-emissive, hexagram-like [(C)(Au-PPhpy₂ )₆ Ag₆ (PhCO₂ )₃ ](BF₄ )₅ (3). Notably, 1 exhibits weak luminescence in CH₂ Cl₂ /CH₃ OH=1 : 1 (v : v) with a quantum yield (QY) of 0.05, whereas it was dramatically increased to 0.49 and 0.83 for 2 and 3, respectively. Theoretical calculation confirms that the involvement of anions in the electronic structures is responsible for the shifts of emission. The high QYs of 2 and 3 are attributed to the protection provided by ligands and anions. This work demonstrates that anions may serve as an extra designable factor beyond just counterions for functional metal clusters.

N-Heterocyclic Thione-Protected Ag4 Tetrahedra and Ag8 Cubes Cocrystallized in a Single Crystal

Polynuclear silver clusters have attracted intensive attention in the academic community owing to their rich physicochemical properties. The development of thione-protected silver clusters has been lagging behind the well-explored thiolate-protected silver-sulfide clusters. Herein, we report two N-heterocyclic thione-protected silver clusters: [Ag₄(2-TBI)₆(SO₄)₃]^2- (Ag₄) and [Br@Ag₈(2-TBI)₁₂(SO₄)₂]³⁺ (Ag₈) (2-TBI = 2-thiobenzimidazol), which cocrystallize to form cluster-based molecular crystals with a CaF₂-type structure. The cocrystal shows high thermal stability in air. Notably, the two cluster-based layers are alternately assembled to exhibit a unique k-vector-differential crystallographic arrangement. This work may lay a foundation for synthesis of atomically precise and stable silver clusters using readily available N-heterocyclic thione ligands.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction catalyzed by atomically precise alkynyl-protected Au7Ag8, Ag9Cu6, and Au2Ag8Cu5 nanoclusters: probing the effect of multi-metal core on selectivity

We report the first all-alkynyl-protected Au2Ag8Cu5 cluster, which adopts a M@M8@M6 core configuration similar with Au7Ag8/Ag9Cu6 clusters. The three clusters exhibited strong metal core effect toward CO2RR, which was understood by DFT calculations.

A stable well-defined copper hydride cluster consolidated with hemilabile phosphines

Copper hydrides are very useful in hydrogenation reactions. We report a stable Stryker-type copper hydride reagent protected by hemilabile phosphines: [Cu8H6(dppy)6](OTf)2 (Cu8-H, dppy = diphenylphosphino-2-pyridine). The metal core of this cluster has a bicapped octahedral configuration, and the copper-bound hydrides each triply bridges over a triangular face of the octahedron. This cluster is attractive due to its facile preparation and excellent stability under ambient conditions. The comparable activity and selectivity both in the stoichiometric and catalytic reactions make Cu8-H a promising alternative to Stryker's reagent.

Synthesis, structure and computational study of 5-[(prop-2-en-1-yl)sulfanyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine (Pesta) and its heterometallic π,σ-complex [Cu2FeCl2(Pesta)4][FeCl4]

Copper(I) π-coordination compounds with allyl derivatives of azoles are an interesting subject of current research, but Cu^I π-complexes with other transition-metal ions incorporated in the structure have been virtually uninvestigated. The present work is directed toward the synthesis and structural characterization of the novel heterometallic Cu^I/Fe^II π-complex di-μ₂-chlorido-1:2κ²Cl;2:3κ²Cl-tetrakis[μ₂-5-(prop-2-en-1-ylsulfanyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine]-1:2κ²N⁴:N³;1(η²),κN⁴:2κN³;2:3κ²N³:N⁴;2κN³:3(η²),κN⁴-dicopper(I)iron(II) tetrachloridoferrate(II), [Cu₂FeCl₂(C₅H₇N₃S₂)₄][FeCl₄] (1). The structure of the 5-[(prop-2-en-1-yl)sulfanyl]-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amine (Pesta, C₅H₇N₃S₂) ligand is also presented. The cationic substructure in 1 consists of one Fe^II and two Cu^I ions bridged by two chloride ions along with two σ,σ- and two π,σ-coordinated ligands, whereas the anionic part is built of isolated tetrahedral [FeCl₄]^2- ions. π-Coordination of the Pesta allyl group to the Cu^I ions prevents agglomeration of the inorganic Cu-Cl-Fe-Cl-Cu part into infinate chains. An energy framework computational analysis was performed for Pesta.

Ag48 and Ag50 Nanoclusters: Toward Active-Site Tailoring of Nanocluster Surface Structures

The determination of active sites in metal nanoclusters is of great significance for the in-depth understanding of the structural evolution and the mechanism of physicochemical properties. In this work, the surface active Ag₂(SR)₃ units of the Ag₄₈Cl₁₄(S-Adm)₃₀ nanocluster are determined, and the active-site tailoring of this nanocluster gives rise to two derivative nanoclusters, i.e., the structure-maintained Ag₄₈Cl₁₄(S-Adm)₂₆(S-c-C₆H₁₁)₄ and the structure-growth Ag₅₀Cl₁₆(S-Adm)₂₈(DPPP)₂. Both Ag₄₈ and Ag₅₀ nanoclusters exhibit almost the same cluster framework, but the Ag₂(S-Adm)₃ active units are regulated to Ag₃(S-Adm)₂(DPPP)₁Cl₁ with the transformation from Ag₄₈ to Ag₅₀. The surface active sites on Ag₄₈ are rationalized by analyzing its crystal structure and the ligand-exchange-induced cluster transformation. This study provides some inspiration toward the active-site tailoring of nanocluster surface structures, which is significant for the preparation of new cluster-based nanomaterials with customized structures and enhanced performance.

Dissection of bicapped octahedral copper hydride cluster to form two chiral tetrahedral copper hydride cluster series exhibiting auto deracemization and photoluminescence

Three series of copper hydride clusters [Cu₈H₆L₆]²⁺ (1), [Cu₄HX₂L₄]⁺ where X^- = Cl^- (2a), Br^- (2b), I^- (2c), N₃^- (2d) and SCN^- (2e), and [Cu₄HX₃L₃] where X^- = Br^- (3b) and I^- (3c) (L = 2-(diphenylphosphino)pyridine, dppy) were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-Ray crystallography and standard spectroscopic techniques. The metal core of 1, Cu₈, can be described as a bicapped octahedron, while those of 2 and 3 series adopt tetrahedral structures. The hydride positions were deduced from difference electron density maps and corroborated by NMR and DFT calculations. For 1, there are two μ₄-H^-, one each in the two tetrahedral cavities of the two capping atoms and four μ₃-H^- on the six triangular faces around the waist of the octahedron. For [Cu₄HX₂L₄]⁺ and [Cu₄HX₃L₃] series, the single μ₄-H^- resides in the center of the Cu₄ tetrahedron. It was found that these three series of copper clusters are intimately connected and can convert from one to another under specific reaction conditions. Their transformation pathways were investigated in detail. Spontaneous resolution to form optically pure enantiomeric single crystals was observed for [Cu₄H(SCN)₂L₄]⁺ (2e) and [Cu₄HBr₃L₃] (3b). Photoluminescence was observed for [Cu₄HX₂L₄]⁺, as well as [Cu₄HX₃L₃] with strong emissions from green to yellow regions.

Catalytic Nanomaterials toward Atomic Levels for Biomedical Applications: From Metal Clusters to Single-Atom Catalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) featuring the complete atomic utilization of metal, high-efficient catalytic activity, superior selectivity, and excellent stability have been emerged as a frontier in the catalytic field. Recently, increasing interests have been drawn to apply SACs in biomedical fields for enzyme-mimic catalysis and disease therapy. To fulfill the demand of precision and personalized medicine, precisely engineering the structure and active site toward atomic levels is a trend for nanomedicines, promoting the evolution of metal-based biomedical nanomaterials, particularly biocatalytic nanomaterials, from nanoparticles to clusters and now to SACs. This review outlines the syntheses, characterizations, and catalytic mechanisms of metal clusters and SACs, with a focus on their biomedical applications including biosensing, antibacterial therapy, and cancer therapy, as well as an emphasis on their in vivo biological safeties. Challenges and future perspectives are ultimately prospected for SACs in diverse biomedical applications.

Controllable synthesis and formation mechanism study of homoleptic alkynyl-protected Au nanoclusters: recent advances, grand challenges, and great opportunities

In the past decade, atomically precise coinage metal nanoclusters have been a subject of major interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology because of their determined compositions and well-defined molecular structures, which are beneficial for establishing structure-property relationships. Recently ligand engineering has been extended to alkynyl molecules. Homoleptic alkynyl-protected Au nanoclusters (Au NCs) have emerged as a hotspot of research interest, mainly due to their unique optical properties, molecular configuration, and catalytic functionalities, and more importantly, they are used as a counterpart object for fundamental study to compare with the well-established thiolate Au NCs. In this review, we first summarize the recently reported various controllable synthetic strategies for atomically precise homoleptic-alkynyl-protected Au NCs, with particular emphasis on the ligand exchange method, direct reduction of the precursor, one-pot synthesis, and the synchronous nucleation and passivation strategy. After that, we switch our focus to the formation mechanism and structure evolution process of homoleptic alkynyl-protected Au NCs, where Au144(PA)60 and Au36(PA)24 (PA = phenylacetylide) are given as examples, along with the prediction of the possible formation mechanism of some other cluster molecules. In the end of this review, the outlook and perspective of this rapidly developing field including grand challenges and great opportunities are discussed. This review can stimulate more research efforts towards developing new synthetic strategies to enrich the limited examples and unravel the formation/growth mechanism of homoleptic alkynyl-protected Au NCs.

Keep it tight: a crucial role of bridging phosphine ligands in the design and optical properties of multinuclear coinage metal complexes

Copper subgroup metal ions in the +1 oxidation state are classical candidates for aggregation via non-covalent metal-metal interactions, which are supported by a number of bridging ligands. The bridging phosphines, soft donors with a relatively labile coordination to coinage metals, serve as convenient and essential components of the ligand environment that allow for efficient self-assembly of discrete polynuclear aggregates. Simultaneously, accessible and rich modification of the organic spacer of such P-donors has been used to generate many fascinating structures with attractive photoluminescent behavior. In this work we consider the development of di- and polynuclear complexes of M(i) (M = Cu, Ag, Au) and their photophysical properties, focusing on the effect of phosphine bridging ligands, their flexibility and denticity.

Atomically precise alloy nanoclusters: syntheses, structures, and properties

Metal nanoclusters fill the gap between discrete atoms and plasmonic nanoparticles, providing unique opportunities for investigating the quantum effects and precise structure-property correlations at the atomic level. As a versatile strategy, alloying can largely improve the physicochemical performances compared to the corresponding homo-metal nanoclusters, and thus benefit the applications of such nanomaterials. In this review, we highlight the achievements of atomically precise alloy nanoclusters, and summarize the alloying principles and fundamentals, including the synthetic methods, site-preferences for different heteroatoms in the templates, and alloying-induced structure and property changes. First, based on various Au or Ag nanocluster templates, heteroatom doping modes are presented. The templates with electronic shell-closing configurations tend to maintain their structures during doping, while the others may undergo transformation and give rise to alloy nanoclusters with new structures. Second, alloy nanoclusters of specific magic sizes are reviewed. The arrangement of different atoms is related to the symmetry of the structures; that is, different atoms are symmetrically located in the nanoclusters of smaller sizes, and evolve into shell-by-shell structures at larger sizes. Then, we elaborate on the alloying effects in terms of optical, electrochemical, electroluminescent, magnetic and chiral properties, as well as the stability and reactivity via comparisons between the doped nanoclusters and their homo-metal counterparts. For example, central heteroatom-induced photoluminescence enhancement is emphasized. The applications of alloy nanoclusters in catalysis, chemical sensing, bio-labeling, and other fields are further discussed. Finally, we provide perspectives on existing issues and future efforts. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive synthetic toolbox and controllable doping modes so as to achieve more alloy nanoclusters with customized compositions, structures, and properties for applications. This review is based on publications available up to February 2020.

Small Gold(I) and Gold(I)-Silver(I) Clusters by C-Si Auration

Auration of o-trimethylsilyl arylphosphines leads to the formation of gold and gold-silver clusters with ortho-metalated phosphines displaying 3c-2e Au-C-M bonds (M=Au/Ag). Hexagold clusters [Au6 L4 ](X)2 are obtained by reaction of (L-TMS)AuCl with AgX, whereas reaction with AgX and Ag2 O leads to gold-silver clusters [Au4 Ag2 L4 ](X)2 . Oxo-trigold(I) species [Au3 O]+ were identified as the intermediates in the formation of the silver-doped clusters. Other [Au5 ], [Au4 Ag], and [Au12 Ag4 ] clusters were also obtained. Clusters containing PAu-Au-AuP structural motif display good catalytic activity in the activation of alkynes under homogeneous conditions.

Unravelling the formation mechanism of alkynyl protected gold clusters: a case study of phenylacetylene stabilized Au144 molecules

Despite recent progress in the preparation of alkynyl protected Au clusters with molecular purity (e.g., Na[Au₂₅(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CAr)₁₈, Ar = 3,5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃^-, Au₃₆(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh)₂₄, Au₄₄(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh)₂₈, and Au₁₄₄(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CAr)₆₀, Ar = 2-F-C₆H₄^-), the formation mechanism still remains elusive. Herein, a new molecule-like alkynyl Au cluster was successfully prepared, and its formula was determined as Au₁₄₄(PA)₆₀ (PA = PhC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C-, phenylacetylene). In the formation of Au₁₄₄(PA)₆₀, the introduction of ethanol in post-synthesis treatment to manipulate the aggregation state of the precursor was found to play a critical role in producing the Au144 clusters. During the Au₁₄₄(PA)₆₀ formation process, the contents of PA, (PA)₂ and (PA)₄ were monitored by absorbance and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), disclosing that Au₁₄₄(PA)₆₀ molecules were generated in sync with (PA)₄. Finally, the formation mechanism of Au₁₄₄(PA)₆₀ molecules has been tentatively proposed, of which three major stages are involved. This study can shed light on the formation mechanism that may be exploited for the precise control of the synthesis of alkynyl protected coinage metal clusters.

A new silver cluster that emits bright-blue phosphorescence

A new stable hexanuclear silver(i) cluster features brightly blue phosphorescence at room temperature, which is integrated with yellow phosphors (YAG:Ce³⁺) to white-light-emission film and demonstrates interesting mechanoresponsive luminescence.

Alkynyl- and phosphine-ligated quaternary Au2Ag2 clusters featuring an Alkynyl-AuAg motif for multicomponent coupling

The coordination motif of alkynly with a metal atom is versatile and plays a pivotal role in tailoring the kernel configuration of the atomically precise metal nanoclusters. In this study, we synthesized a new mono-valent Au(I)₂Ag(I)₂(C₁₀H₆NO)₄(Ph₃P)₂ alloy cluster with a very high yield of >90%, which is well characterized by a serial of technologies, e.g. UV-vis, X-ray single crystal diffraction (SCXRD) and FT-IR. The SCXRD analysis shows the alloy cluster is composed of a quadrangular Au₂Ag₂ kernel protected by four alkynyl and two phosphine ligands. Intriguingly, a new divergent alkyne-metal coordination model is revealed in this cluster, the alkynyl ligands selectively bind to Au and Ag atoms via σ- and π-bond configurations and adopt a VI-shaped alkynyl-M motif. It is distinct from the convergent motif observed in big clusters featuring an IV- or V-shaped alkynyl-M motif due to the steric effect. Finally, the titanium oxide-supported Au₂Ag₂ cluster catalysts show good catalytic performance in the multicomponent coupling reaction of alkynes, aldehydes and amines.

The coordination motif of alkynly with a metal atom is versatile and plays a pivotal role in tailoring the kernel configuration of the atomically precise metal nanoclusters.

Substituents lead to differences in the formation of two different butterfly-shaped NiDy clusters: structures and multistep assembly mechanisms

The most effective way to understand reaction mechanisms and kinetics is to identify the reaction intermediates and determine the possible reaction patterns. The influencing factors that must be considered in the self-assembly of clusters are the type of ligand, metal ion, coordination anion and the pH of the solution. However, changes in ligand substituents resulting in different self-assembly processes to obtain different types of structures are still very rare, especially with -H and -CH₃ substituents, which do not exert significant steric hindrance effects. In this study, planar mononuclear Ni(L¹)₂ (L¹ = 2-ethoxy-6-(iminomethyl)phenol) was dissolved in methanol and combined with Dy(NO₃)₃·6H₂O for 48 h at room temperature to obtain a butterfly-like Ni₂Dy₂ cluster ([Dy₂Ni₂(L¹)₄(CH₃O)₂(NO₃)₄], 1). The Dy(iii) ions in cluster 1 are in an O₈N coordination environment, and the Ni(ii) ions are in an O₅N coordination environment. High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESI-MS) was used to track species changes during the formation of cluster 1. Six key intermediate fragments were screened, and the self-assembly mechanism was proposed as Ni(L¹)₂→ HL¹ + NiL¹→ DyL¹/Ni(L¹)₂'→ DyNi(L¹)₂→ Dy₂Ni₂(L¹)₄. Through this assembly mechanism, we found that Ni(L¹)₂ was first cleaved into HL¹ + NiL¹ and then further assembled to obtain 1. Another butterfly-like tetranuclear heterometallic cluster ([Dy₂Ni₂(L²)₄(CH₃O)₂(NO₃)₄], 2) was obtained using planar mononuclear Ni(L²)₂ (L² = (E)-2-ethoxy-6-((methylimino)methyl)phenol) with -CH₃ substitution on the nitrogen atom under the same reaction conditions. The structural analysis of cluster 2 showed that the Dy(iii) ions are in an O₉ coordination environment, and the Ni(ii) ions are in an O₄N₂ coordination environment. HRESI-MS was used to trace species changes during the formation of 2, and the assembly mechanism was proposed as Ni(L²)₂→ DyNi(L²)₂→ Dy₂Ni(L²)₂→ Dy₂Ni₂(L²)₄. Analysis of the assembly mechanism of 2 showed that Ni(L²)₂ was twisted during the reaction, and its coordination point was exposed to capture the Dy(iii) ions. Finally, Dy(NO₃)₃·6H₂O was replaced with NaN₃ to obtain a [Ni₂Na₂(L²)₄(N₃)₄] cluster (3) under the same reaction conditions and verify the above-mentioned torsion step. HRESI-MS was also used to trace the assembly process, and the assembly mechanism was proposed as Ni(L²)₂→ NiNa(L²)₂→ NiNa₂(L²)₂→ Ni₂Na₂(L²)₄. Herein, the effect of interference from substitution and the regulation self-assembly process were discovered in the formation of 3d-4f heterometallic clusters, and different types of coordination clusters were obtained.

Metal Nanoclusters Stabilized by Selenol Ligands

The past decades have witnessed great advances in controllable synthesis, structure determination, and property investigation of metal nanoclusters. Selenolated nanoclusters, a special branch in the nanocluster family, have attracted great interest in these years. The electronegativity and atomic radius of selenium is different from sulfur, and thus the selenolated nanoclusters are anticipated to display different electronic/geometric structures and distinct chemical/physical properties relative to their thiolated analogues. This review covers the syntheses, structures, and properties of selenolated nanoclusters (including Au, Ag, Cu, and alloy nanoclusters). Ligand effects (between SeR and SR) on nanocluster properties, including optical absorption, stability, and electrochemical properties, are disclosed as well. At the end of the review, a scope for improvements and future perspectives of selenolated nanoclusters is highlighted. The review hopefully opens up new horizons for cluster scientists to synthesize more selenolated nanoclusters with novel structures and properties. This review is based on publications available up to May 2019.

Biosynthesized Highly Stable Au/C Nanodots: Ideal Probes for the Selective and Sensitive Detection of Hg2+ Ions

The enormous ongoing industrial development has caused serious water pollution which has become a major crisis, particularly in developing countries. Among the various water pollutants, non-biodegradable heavy metal ions are the most prevalent. Thus, trace-level detection of these metal ions using a simple technique is essential. To address this issue, we have developed a fluorescent probe of Au/C nanodots (GCNDs-gold carbon nanodots) using an eco-friendly method based on an extract from waste onion leaves (Allium cepa-red onions). The leaves are rich in many flavonoids, playing a vital role in the formation of GCNDs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning transmission electron microscopy-Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) elemental mapping clearly indicated that the newly synthesized materials are approximately 2 nm in size. The resulting GCNDs exhibited a strong orange fluorescence with excitation at 380 nm and emission at 610 nm. The GCNDs were applied as a fluorescent probe for the detection of Hg2+ ions. They can detect ultra-trace concentrations of Hg2+ with a detection limit of 1.3 nM. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results facilitated the identification of a clear detection mechanism. We also used the new probe on a real river water sample. The newly developed sensor is highly stable with a strong fluorescent property and can be used for various applications such as in catalysis and biomedicine.

Tailoring the photoluminescence of atomically precise nanoclusters

Due to their atomically precise structures and intriguing chemical/physical properties, metal nanoclusters are an emerging class of modular nanomaterials. Photo-luminescence (PL) is one of their most fascinating properties, due to the plethora of promising PL-based applications, such as chemical sensing, bio-imaging, cell labeling, phototherapy, drug delivery, and so on. However, the PL of most current nanoclusters is still unsatisfactory-the PL quantum yield (QY) is relatively low (generally lower than 20%), the emission lifetimes are generally in the nanosecond range, and the emitted color is always red (emission wavelengths of above 630 nm). To address these shortcomings, several strategies have been adopted, and are reviewed herein: capped-ligand engineering, metallic kernel alloying, aggregation-induced emission, self-assembly of nanocluster building blocks into cluster-based networks, and adjustments on external environment factors. We further review promising applications of these fluorescent nanoclusters, with particular focus on their potential to impact the fields of chemical sensing, bio-imaging, and bio-labeling. Finally, scope for improvements and future perspectives of these novel nanomaterials are highlighted as well. Our intended audience is the broader scientific community interested in the fluorescence of metal nanoclusters, and our review hopefully opens up new horizons for these scientists to manipulate PL properties of nanoclusters. This review is based on publications available up to December 2018.

An atomically precise all-tert-butylethynide-protected Ag51 superatom nanocluster with color tunability

The tert-butylethynide ligand has been employed to construct an atomically precise all-tert-butylethynide-protected silver superatom nanocluster, Ag51(tBuC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C)32 (hereafter denoted as Ag51). The identity of Ag51 is confirmed by high resolution ESI-MS and elemental analysis. Single crystal X-ray analysis revealed that the structure of Ag51 features a three-shell arrangement, Ag@Ag8/Ag6@Ag36@C24/C8. Ag51 exhibits a strong solvatochromic effect, and the emissions are strongly dependent on the solvent polarity and are tunable from blue to red by changing the solvent from less polar dichloromethane to highly polar methanol.