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Liu Z, Luo L, Kong J, Kahng E, Zhou M, Jin R. Bright near-infrared emission from the Au 39(SR) 29 nanocluster. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:7419-7426. [PMID: 38529816 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr00677a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The synthesis of atomically precise gold nanoclusters with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) in the near-infrared (NIR) region and understanding their photoluminescence mechanism are crucial for both fundamental science and practical applications. Herein, we report a highly luminescent, molecularly pure Au39(PET)29 (PET = 2-phenylethanethiolate) nanocluster with PLQY of 19% in the NIR range (915 nm). Steady state and time-resolved PL analyses, as well as temperature-dependent PL measurements reveal the emission nature of Au39(PET)29, which consists of prompt fluorescence (weak), thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), and phosphorescence (predominant). Furthermore, strong dipole-dipole interaction in the solid-state (e.g., Au39(PET)29 nanoclusters embedded in a polystyrene thin-film) is found to narrow the energy gap between the S1 and T1 states, which results in faster intersystem crossing and reverse intersystem crossing; thus, the ratio of TADF to phosphorescence varies and the total PLQY is increased to 32%. This highly luminescent nanocluster holds promise in imaging, sensing and optoelectronic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyu Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Lianshun Luo
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Jie Kong
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China. Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Ellen Kahng
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Meng Zhou
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China. Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Rongchao Jin
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University. Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
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Basagni A, Torresan V, Marzola P, Fernàndez van Raap MB, Nodari L, Amendola V. Structural evolution under physical and chemical stimuli of metastable Au-Fe nanoalloys obtained by laser ablation in liquid. Faraday Discuss 2023; 242:286-300. [PMID: 36173019 DOI: 10.1039/d2fd00087c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Metastable alloy nanoparticles are investigated for their variety of appealing properties exploitable for photonics, magnetism, catalysis and nanobiotechnology. Notably, nanophases out of thermodynamic equilibrium feature a complex "ultrastructure" leading to a dynamic evolution of composition and atomic arrangement in response to physical-chemical stimuli. In this manuscript, metastable Au-Fe alloy nanoparticles were produced by laser ablation in liquid, an emerging versatile synthetic approach for freezing multielement nanosystems in non-equilibrium conditions. The Au-Fe nanoalloys were characterized through electron microscopy, elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The dynamics of the structure of the Au-Fe system was tracked at high temperature under vacuum and atmospheric conditions, evidencing the intrinsic transformative nature of the metastable nanoalloy produced by laser ablation in liquid. This dynamic structure is relevant to possible application in several fields, from photocatalysis to nanomedicine, as demonstrated through an experiment of magnetic resonance imaging in biological fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Basagni
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 1, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Veronica Torresan
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 1, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Pasquina Marzola
- Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona 37134, Italy
| | - Marcela B Fernàndez van Raap
- Physics Institute of La Plata (IFLP-CONICET), Physics Department, Faculty of Exact Sciences, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Luca Nodari
- CNR-ICMATE Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy, Italian National Research Council, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Amendola
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 1, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
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Philliber M, Baxter ET, Johnson GE. Synthesis and Stability of Mixed-Diphosphine Ligated Gold Clusters. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2022; 33:2138-2146. [PMID: 36166416 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Sub-nanometer gold clusters are promising size- and composition-tunable materials that may be used for advanced technological applications such as catalysis, energy generation, and microelectronics. Synthesis and characterization of phosphine ligated gold clusters containing different ligands provide insight into how steric and electronic effects resulting from changes in chemical functionality influence cluster size, stability, and formation in solution. Herein, we demonstrate that synthesizing gold clusters using two different diphosphines in solution at the same time results in a broad distribution of novel mixed-ligand clusters. In comparison, adding a second diphosphine to a solution of gold clusters presynthesized with another diphosphine does not result in extensive formation of mixed-ligand species. Utilizing high-mass resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, we determined novel cluster compositions and observed size-dependent trends in gold clusters that undergo ligand exchange forming mixed diphosphine species. Adjacent peaks in the mass spectra, separated by characteristic mass-to-charge ratios, provide evidence for multiple 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (L3) and 1,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)pentane (L5) ligands on cationic clusters containing 8, 10, 11, and 22 gold atoms. Energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation experiments provide qualitative insight into how different diphosphine ligands affect the relative stability of specific size gold clusters. Our results indicate that mixed-ligand clusters containing both L3 and L5 are generally more stable than their single ligand counterparts containing either L3 or L5. These molecular-level insights will facilitate the rational and scalable synthesis of gold clusters for targeted applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mallory Philliber
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Utah, 315 S 1400 E, Room 2020, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Eric T Baxter
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Grant E Johnson
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
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Aikens CM, Jin R, Roy X, Tsukuda T. From atom-precise nanoclusters to superatom materials. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:170401. [PMID: 35525653 DOI: 10.1063/5.0095770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Aikens
- Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
| | - Rongchao Jin
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Xavier Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Tatsuya Tsukuda
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Adnan RH, Madridejos JML, Alotabi AS, Metha GF, Andersson GG. A Review of State of the Art in Phosphine Ligated Gold Clusters and Application in Catalysis. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2105692. [PMID: 35332703 PMCID: PMC9130904 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202105692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Atomically precise gold clusters are highly desirable due to their well-defined structure which allows the study of structure-property relationships. In addition, they have potential in technological applications such as nanoscale catalysis. The structural, chemical, electronic, and optical properties of ligated gold clusters are strongly defined by the metal-ligand interaction and type of ligands. This critical feature renders gold-phosphine clusters unique and distinct from other ligand-protected gold clusters. The use of multidentate phosphines enables preparation of varying core sizes and exotic structures beyond regular polyhedrons. Weak gold-phosphorous (Au-P) bonding is advantageous for ligand exchange and removal for specific applications, such as catalysis, without agglomeration. The aim of this review is to provide a unified view of gold-phosphine clusters and to present an in-depth discussion on recent advances and key developments for these clusters. This review features the unique chemistry, structural, electronic, and optical properties of gold-phosphine clusters. Advanced characterization techniques, including synchrotron-based spectroscopy, have unraveled substantial effects of Au-P interaction on the composition-, structure-, and size-dependent properties. State-of-the-art theoretical calculations that reveal insights into experimental findings are also discussed. Finally, a discussion of the application of gold-phosphine clusters in catalysis is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohul H. Adnan
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of ScienceCenter for Hydrogen EnergyUniversiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)Johor Bahru81310Malaysia
| | | | - Abdulrahman S. Alotabi
- Flinders Institute for NanoScale Science and TechnologyFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth Australia5042Australia
- Department of PhysicsFaculty of Science and Arts in BaljurashiAlbaha UniversityBaljurashi65655Saudi Arabia
| | - Gregory F. Metha
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSouth Australia5005Australia
| | - Gunther G. Andersson
- Flinders Institute for NanoScale Science and TechnologyFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth Australia5042Australia
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Day PN, Pachter R, Nguyen KA. Calculated linear and nonlinear optical absorption spectra of phosphine-ligated gold clusters. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:11234-11248. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01232d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Although prediction of optical excitations of ligated gold clusters by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is relatively well-established, limitations still exist, for example in the choice of the exchange-correlation functional....
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Li Q, Zeman CJ, Schatz GC, Gu XW. Source of Bright Near-Infrared Luminescence in Gold Nanoclusters. ACS NANO 2021; 15:16095-16105. [PMID: 34613697 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c04759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Gold nanoclusters with near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence (PL) have great potential as sensing and imaging materials in biomedical and bioimaging applications. In this work, Au21(S-Adm)15 and Au38S2(S-Adm)20 are used to unravel the underlying mechanisms for the improved quantum yields (QY), large Stokes shifts, and long PL lifetimes in gold nanoclusters. Both nanoclusters show decent PL QY. In particular, the Au38S2(S-Adm)20 nanocluster shows a bright NIR PL at 900 nm with QY up to 15% in normal solvents (such as toluene) at ambient conditions. The relatively lower QY for Au21(S-Adm)15 (4%) compared to that of Au38S2(S-Adm)20 is attributed to the lowest-lying excited state being symmetry-disallowed, as evidenced by the pressure-dependent antispectral shift of the absorption spectra compared to PL, yet Au21(S-Adm)15 maintains some emissive properties due to a nearby symmetry-allowed excited state. Furthermore, our results show that suppression of nonradiative decay due to the surface "lock rings", which encircle the Au kernel and the surface "lock atoms" which bridge the fundamental Au kernel units (e.g., tetrahedra, icosahedra, etc.), is the key to obtaining high QYs in gold nanoclusters. The complicated excited-state processes and the small absorption coefficient of the band-edge transition lead to the large Stokes shifts and the long PL lifetimes that are widely observed in gold nanoclusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Charles J Zeman
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - George C Schatz
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - X Wendy Gu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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