Structure of the Au23−xAgx(S‐Adm)15 Nanocluster and Its Application for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Ligands play an important role in determining the atomic arrangement within the metal nanoclusters. Here, we report a new nanocluster [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] protected by bulky adamantanethiol ligands which was obtained through a one‐pot synthesis. The total structure of [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] comprises an Au_13?xAg_x icosahedral core, three Au₃(SR)₄ units, and one AgS₃ staple motif in contrast to the 15‐atom bipyramidal core previously seen in [Au_23?xAg_x(SR)₁₆]. UV/Vis spectroscopy indicates that the HOMO–LUMO gap of [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] is 1.5 eV. DFT calculations reveal that [Au₁₉Ag₄(S‐Adm)₁₅] is the most stable structure among all structural possibilities. Benefitting from Ag doping, [Au_23?xAg_x(S‐Adm)₁₅] exhibits drastically improved photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol under visible‐light irradiation compared to Au₂₃ nanoclusters.     

Ag Doped Au44 Nanoclusters for Electrocatalytic Conversion of CO2 to CO

A novel Ag doped Au₄₄(C₁₀H₉)₂₈ nanocluster (C₁₀H₁₀=1-ethynyl-2,4-dimethylbenzene) was synthesized, that is, Ag_4+xAu_40-x(C₁₀H₉)₂₈ (x≤6), where four Ag positions located in the surface staple of the cluster have been determined, while six Au/Ag co-occupying positions have been found in the metal core of the cluster. The electronic configuration of Au₄₄(C₁₀H₉)₂₈ cluster is significantly disturbed by doping Ag atoms, hence promoting the electron transport capability. For the two-electron conversion reaction of CO₂ to CO in electrochemical reduction of CO₂, Ag doped Ag_4+xAu_40-x(C₁₀H₉)₂₈ catalyst exhibited higher effective activity and long-term stability than its counterpart Au₄₄(C₁₀H₉)₂₈ catalyst.     

Au130−xAgx Nanoclusters with Non‐Metallicity: A Drum of Silver‐Rich Sites Enclosed in a Marks‐Decahedral Cage of Gold‐Rich Sites

The synthesis and structure of atomically precise Au_130?xAg_x (average x=98) alloy nanoclusters protected by 55 ligands of 4‐tert‐butylbenzenethiolate are reported. This large alloy structure has a decahedral M₅₄ (M=Au/Ag) core. The Au atoms are localized in the truncated Marks decahedron. In the core, a drum of Ag‐rich sites is found, which is enclosed by a Marks decahedral cage of Au‐rich sites. The surface is exclusively Ag?SR; X‐ray absorption fine structure analysis supports the absence of Au?S bonds. The optical absorption spectrum shows a strong peak at 523 nm, seemingly a plasmon peak, but fs spectroscopic analysis indicates its non‐plasmon nature. The non‐metallicity of the Au_130?xAg_x nanocluster has set up a benchmark to study the transition to metallic state in the size evolution of bimetallic nanoclusters. The localized Au/Ag binary architecture in such a large alloy nanocluster provides atomic‐level insights into the Au?Ag bonds in bimetallic nanoclusters.     

Templated Atom‐Precise Galvanic Synthesis and Structure Elucidation of a [Ag24Au(SR)18]− Nanocluster

Synthesis of atom‐precise alloy nanoclusters with uniform composition is challenging when the alloying atoms are similar in size (for example, Ag and Au). A galvanic exchange strategy has been devised to produce a compositionally uniform [Ag₂₄Au(SR)₁₈]^? cluster (SR: thiolate) using a pure [Ag₂₅(SR)₁₈]^? cluster as a template. Conversely, the direct synthesis of Ag₂₄Au cluster leads to a mixture of [Ag_25?xAu_x(SR)₁₈]^?, x=1–8. Mass spectrometry and crystallography of [Ag₂₄Au(SR)₁₈]^? reveal the presence of the Au heteroatom at the Ag₂₅ center, forming Ag₂₄Au. The successful exchange of the central Ag of Ag₂₅ with Au causes perturbations in the Ag₂₅ crystal structure, which are reflected in the absorption, luminescence, and ambient stability of the particle. These properties are compared with those of Ag₂₅ and Ag₂₄Pd clusters with same ligand and structural framework, providing new insights into the modulation of cluster properties with dopants at the single‐atom level.     

Atomic‐Level Alloying and De‐alloying in Doped Gold Nanoparticles

Atomically precise alloying and de‐alloying processes for the formation of Ag–Au and Cu–Au nanoparticles of 25‐metal‐atom composition (referred to as Ag_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ and Cu_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈, in which R=CH₂CH₂Ph) are reported. The identities of the particles were determined by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectroscopy (MALDI‐MS). Their structures were probed by fragmentation analysis in MALDI‐MS and comparison with the icosahedral structure of the homogold Au₂₅(SR)₁₈ nanoparticles (an icosahedral Au₁₃ core protected by a shell of Au₁₂(SR)₁₈). The Cu and Ag atoms were found to preferentially occupy the 13‐atom icosahedral sites, instead of the exterior shell. The number of Ag atoms in Ag_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ (x=0–8) was dependent on the molar ratio of Ag^I/Au^III precursors in the synthesis, whereas the number of Cu atoms in Cu_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ (x=0–4) was independent of the molar ratio of Cu^II/Au^III precursors applied. Interestingly, the Cu_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ nanoparticles show a spontaneous de‐alloying process over time, and the initially formed Cu_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ nanoparticles were converted to pure Au₂₅(SR)₁₈. This de‐alloying process was not observed in the case of alloyed Ag_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ nanoparticles. This contrast can be attributed to the stability difference between Cu_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ and Ag_xAu_25?x(SR)₁₈ nanoparticles. These alloyed nanoparticles are promising candidates for applications such as catalysis.     

Controlling the Atomic Structure of Au30 Nanoclusters by a Ligand‐Based Strategy

We report the X‐ray structure of a gold nanocluster with 30 gold atoms protected by 18 1‐adamantanethiolate ligands (formulated as Au₃₀(S‐Adm)₁₈). This nanocluster exhibits a threefold rotationally symmetrical, hexagonal‐close‐packed (HCP) Au₁₈ kernel protected by six dimeric Au₂(SR)₃ staple motifs. This new structure is distinctly different from the previously reported Au₃₀S(S‐^tBu)₁₈ nanocluster protected by 18 tert‐butylthiolate ligands and one sulfido ligand with a face‐centered cubic (FCC) Au₂₂ kernel. The Au₃₀(S‐Adm)₁₈ nanocluster has an anomalous solubility (it is only soluble in benzene but not in other common solvents). This work demonstrates a ligand‐based strategy for controlling nanocluster structure and also provides a method for the discovery of possibly overlooked clusters because of their anomalous solubility.     

Cadmium-Doped and Pincer Ligand-Modified Gold Nanocluster for Catalytic KA2 Reaction

A gold nanocluster Au₁₇Cd₂(PNP)₂(SR)₁₂ (PNP=2,6-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)pyridine, SR=4-MeOPhS) consisting of an icosahedral Au₁₃ kernel, two Au₂CdS₆ staple motifs, and two PNP pincer ligands has been designed, synthesized and well characterized. This cadmium and PNP pincer ligand co-modified gold nanocluster showed high catalytic efficiency in the KA² reaction, featuring high TON, mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope as well as catalyst recyclability. Comparison of the catalytic performance between Au₁₇Cd₂(PNP)₂(SR)₁₂ and the structurally similar single cadmium (or PNP) modified gold nanoclusters demonstrates that the co-existence of the cadmium and PNP on the surface is crucial for the high catalytic activity of the gold nanocluster. This work would be enlightening for developing efficient catalysts for cascade reactions and discovering the catalytic potential of metal nanoclusters in organic transformations.     

An Atomically Precise Au10Ag2 Nanocluster with Red–Near‐IR Dual Emission

A red–near‐IR dual‐emissive nanocluster with the composition [Au₁₀Ag₂(2‐py?C≡C)₃(dppy)₆](BF₄)₅ ( 1 ; 2‐py?C≡C is 2‐pyridylethynyl, dppy=2‐pyridyldiphenylphosphine) has been synthesized. Single‐crystal X‐ray structural analysis reveals that 1 has a trigonal bipyramidal Au₁₀Ag₂ core that contains a planar Au₄(2‐py?C≡C)₃ unit sandwiched by two Au₃Ag(dppy)₃ motifs. Cluster 1 shows intense red–NIR dual emission in solution. The visible emission originates from metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer (MLCT) from silver atoms to phosphine ligands in the Au₃Ag(dppy)₃ motifs, and the intense NIR emission is associated with the participation of 2‐pyridylethynyl in the frontier orbitals of the cluster, which is confirmed by a time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) calculation.     

Enantioseparation of Au20(PP3)4Cl4 Clusters with Intrinsically Chiral Cores

Au₂₀(PP₃)₄Cl₄ (PP₃=tris(2‐(diphenylphosphino)ethyl) phosphine), abbreviated as Au₂₀, is the only Au nanocluster with an intrinsically chiral core without a chiral environment (chiral ligands or Au‐thiolate staples), making it a unique object to understand chiral evolution and explore chiral applications. Unfortunately, the synthesized Au₂₀ is racemic, and its enantiomers have not yet been separated. Herein, we report a supramolecular assembly strategy with α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD) to afford enantiopure Au₂₀ in bulk, and an enantiomer excess (ee) value of as‐separated Au₂₀ of 97 %. As a result of its high purity, the distinctive optical activity of Au₂₀, which originates from electronic transitions confined in chiral cores, is fully explored. Theoretical studies reveals that the enantioseparation results from the preferential self‐assembly of α‐CD with organic ligands on the surface of right‐handed Au₂₀.     

A Chiral Gold Nanocluster Au20 Protected by Tetradentate Phosphine Ligands

The chirality of a gold nanocluster can be generated from either an intrinsically chiral inorganic core or an achiral inorganic core in a chiral environment. The first structural determination of a gold nanocluster containing an intrinsic chiral inorganic core is reported. The chiral gold nanocluster [Au₂₀(PP₃)₄]Cl₄ (PP₃=tris(2‐(diphenylphosphino)ethyl)phosphine) has been prepared by the reduction of a gold(I)–tetraphosphine precursor in dichloromethane solution. Single‐crystal structural determination reveals that the cluster molecular structure has C₃ symmetry. It consists of a Au₂₀ core consolidated by four peripheral tetraphosphines. The Au₂₀ core can be viewed as the combination of an icosahedral Au₁₃ and a helical Y‐shaped Au₇ motif. The identity of this Au₂₀ cluster is confirmed by ESI‐MS. The chelation of multidentate phosphines enhances the stability of this Au₂₀ cluster.     

Revealing the composition-dependent structural evolution fundamentals of bimetallic nanoparticles through an inter-particle alloying reaction

Alloy nanoparticles represent one of the most important metal materials, finding increasing applications in diverse fields of catalysis, biomedicine, and nano-optics. However, the structural evolution of bimetallic nanoparticles in their full composition spectrum has been rarely explored at the molecular and atomic levels, imparting inherent difficulties to establish a reliable structure–property relationship in practical applications. Here, through an inter-particle reaction between [Au₄₄(SR)₂₆]²⁻ and [Ag₄₄(SR)₃₀]⁴⁻ nanoparticles or nanoclusters (NCs), which possess the same number of metal atoms, but different atomic packing structures, we reveal the composition-dependent structural evolution of alloy NCs in the alloying process at the molecular and atomic levels. In particular, an inter-cluster reaction can produce three sets of Au_xAg_44−x NCs in a wide composition range, and the structure of Au_xAg_44−x NCs evolves from Ag-rich [Au_xAg_44−x(SR)₃₀]⁴⁻ (x = 1–12), to evenly mixed [Au_xAg_44−x(SR)₂₇]³⁻ (x = 19–24), and finally to Au-rich [Au_xAg_44−x(SR)₂₆]²⁻ (x = 40–43) NCs, with the increase of the Au/Ag atomic ratio in the NC composition. In addition, leveraging on real-time electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), we reveal the different inter-cluster reaction mechanisms for the alloying process in the sub-3-nm regime, including partial decomposition–reconstruction and metal exchange reactions. The molecular-level inter-cluster reaction demonstrated in this study provides a fine chemistry to customize the composition and structure of bimetallic NCs in their full alloy composition spectrum, which will greatly increase the acceptance of bimetallic NCs in both basic and applied research.

An inter-particle reaction between atomically precise [Au₄₄(SR)₂₆]²⁻ (SR = thiolate) and [Ag₄₄(SR)₃₀]⁴⁻ nanoparticles reveals the composition-dependent structural evolution of alloy Au_xAg_44−x nanoparticles at the atomic level.     

Absolute configuration retention of a configurationally labile ligand during dynamic processes of thiolate protected gold clusters

Monolayer protected metal clusters are dynamic nanoscale objects. For example, the chiral Au₃₈(2-PET)₂₄ cluster (2-PET: 2-phenylethylthiolate) racemizes at moderate temperature. In addition, ligands and metal atoms can easily exchange between clusters. Such processes are important for applications of monolayer protected metal clusters; however, the mechanistic study of such processes turns out to be challenging. Here we use a configurationally labile, axially chiral ligand, biphenyl-2,2′-dithiol (R/S-BiDi), as a probe to study dynamic cluster processes. It is shown that the ligand exchange of free R/S-BiDi on a chiral Au₃₈(2-PET)₂₄ cluster is diastereospecific. Using chiral chromatography, isolated single diastereomers of the type anticlockwise/clockwise-Au₃₈(2-PET)₂₂(R/S-BiDi)₁ could be isolated. Upon heating, the cluster framework racemizes, while the R/S-BiDi ligand does not. These findings demonstrate that during cluster racemization and/or ligand exchange between clusters, the R/S-BiDi ligand is sufficiently confined, thus preventing its racemization, and exclude the possibility that the ligand desorbs from the cluster surface.

The ligand exchange between a configurationally labile BiDi ligand and intrinsically chiral Au₃₈ gold nanoclusters is diastereoselective. More importantly, the adsorbed ligand retains its configuration during dynamic cluster processes.     

Chiral Gold Nanoclusters: Atomic Level Origins of Chirality

Chiral nanomaterials have received wide interest in many areas, but the exact origin of chirality at the atomic level remains elusive in many cases. With recent significant progress in atomically precise gold nanoclusters (e.g., thiolate‐protected Au_n (SR)_m ), several origins of chirality have been unveiled based upon atomic structures determined by using single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. The reported chiral Au_n (SR)_m structures explicitly reveal a predominant origin of chirality that arises from the Au–S chiral patterns at the metal–ligand interface, as opposed to the chiral arrangement of metal atoms in the inner core (i.e. kernel). In addition, chirality can also be introduced by a chiral ligand, manifested in the circular dichroism response from metal‐based electronic transitions other than the ligand's own transition(s). Lastly, the chiral arrangement of carbon tails of the ligands has also been discovered in a very recent work on chiral Au₁₃₃(SR)₅₂ and Au₂₄₆(SR)₈₀ nanoclusters. Overall, the origins of chirality discovered in Au_n (SR)_m nanoclusters may provide models for the understanding of chirality origins in other types of nanomaterials and also constitute the basis for the development of various applications of chiral nanoparticles.     

Site-specific doping of silver atoms into a Au25 nanocluster as directed by ligand binding preferences

For the first time site-specific doping of silver into a spherical Au₂₅ nanocluster has been achieved in [Au₁₉Ag₆(MeOPhS)₁₇(PPh₃)₆] (BF₄)₂ (Au₁₉Ag₆) through a dual-ligand coordination strategy. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis shows that the cluster has a distorted centered icosahedral Au@Au₆Ag₆ core of D₃ symmetry, in contrast to the I_h Au@Au₁₂ kernel in the well-known [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]⁻ (R = CH₂CH₂Ph). An interesting feature is the coexistence of [Au₂(SPhOMe)₃] dimeric staples and [P–Au–SPhOMe] semi-staples in the title cluster, due to the incorporation of PPh₃. The observation of only one double-charged peak in ESI-TOF-MS confirms the ordered doping of silver atoms. Au₁₉Ag₆ is a 6e system showing a distinct absorption spectrum from [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]⁻, that is, the HOMO–LUMO transition of Au₁₉Ag₆ is optically forbidden due to the P character of the superatomic frontier orbitals.

For the first time site-specific doping of silver into a spherical Au₂₅ nanocluster has been achieved in [Au₁₉Ag₆(MeOPhS)₁₇(PPh₃)₆] (BF₄)₂. It is a 6e system showing quite a different absorption spectrum from [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]⁻.     

Coordination/organometallic polymers based on diphosphine and diisocyanide ligands

This paper reviews various coordination/ organometallic polymers in which the metal atoms are incorporated in the backbone using diphosphine and diisocyanide ligands. Such ligands includes diphosphines of the type bis(diphenylphosphino)alkane where alkane is (CH₂)_m with m = 1, 3-6, bis(diphenylphosphino)acetylene (dpa), and bis(dimethylphosphino)methane (dmpm), and diisocyanides such as 1,8-diiso-cyano-p-menthane (dmb) and p-diisocyanotetra-methylbenzene (ditmb). The metal fragments are monocations such as Cu⁺, Ag⁺, and Au⁺, dinuclear species such as Pd₂(dmb)₂²⁺, Pd₂(dppm)₂²⁺, M₂(dmpm)₃²⁺ (M = Cu, Ag), and clusters such as M₄(dmb)₄²⁺ (M = Pd, Pt).     

New atomically precise M1Ag21 (M = Au/Ag) nanoclusters as excellent oxygen reduction reaction catalysts

By introducing 1,1′-bis-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) as an activating ligand, two novel nanoclusters, M1Ag21 (M = Au/Ag), have been controllably synthesized and structurally characterized. The atomically precise structures of the M1Ag21 nanoclusters were determined by SCXC and further confirmed by ESI-TOF-MS, TGA, XPS, DPV, and FT-IR measurements. The M1Ag21 nanoclusters supported on activated carbon (C) are exploited as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts in alkaline solutions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verify that the catalytic activities of the two cluster-based systems originate from the significant ensemble synergy effect between the M₁₃ kernel and dppf ligand in M1Ag21. This work sheds lights on the preparation of cluster-based electrocatalysts and other catalysts that are activated and modified by peripheral ligands.

The presence of 1,1′-bis-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene ligands and ensemble effects in novel nanoclusters M₁Ag₂₁(dppf)₃(SAdm)₁₂ (M = Au/Ag) provide excellent ORR performances.     

Three‐dimensional Octameric Assembly of Icosahedral M13 Units in [Au8Ag57(Dppp)4(C6H11S)32Cl2]Cl and its [Au8Ag55(Dppp)4(C6H11S)34][BPh4]2 Derivative

The high‐dimensional (that is, three‐dimensional (3D)) assembly of nanomaterials is an effective means of improving their properties; however, achieving this assembly at the atomic level remains challenging. Herein, we obtained a novel nanocluster, [Au₈Ag₅₇(Dppp)₄(C₆H₁₁S)₃₂C_l2]Cl (Dppp=1,3‐bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) showing a 3D octameric assembly mode involving the kernel penetration of eight complete icosahedral Au@Ag₁₀Au₂ units for the first time. The atomically precise structure was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, and further confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry measurements. Furthermore, ligand‐induced transformation prompted the conversion of [Au₈Ag₅₇(Dppp)₄(C₆H₁₁S)₃₂Cl₂]Cl, with complete octameric fusion into [Au₈Ag₅₅(Dppp)₄(C₆H₁₁S)₃₄][BPh₄]₂, with incomplete octameric fusion. These observations will hopefully facilitate further research on the assembly of M₁₃ nanobuilding blocks.     

A 200‐fold Quantum Yield Boost in the Photoluminescence of Silver‐Doped AgxAu25−x Nanoclusters: The 13 th Silver Atom Matters

The rod‐shaped Au₂₅ nanocluster possesses a low photoluminescence quantum yield (QY=0.1 %) and hence is not of practical use in bioimaging and related applications. Herein, we show that substituting silver atoms for gold in the 25‐atom matrix can drastically enhance the photoluminescence. The obtained Ag_xAu_25?x (x=1–13) nanoclusters exhibit high quantum yield (QY=40.1 %), which is in striking contrast with the normally weakly luminescent Ag_xAu_25?x species (x=1–12, QY=0.21 %). X‐ray crystallography further determines the substitution sites of Ag atoms in the Ag_xAu_25?x cluster through partial occupancy analysis, which provides further insight into the mechanism of photoluminescence enhancement.     

Same Magic Number but Different Arrangement: Alkynyl‐Protected Au25 with D3 Symmetry

Two homoleptic alkynyl‐protected gold clusters with compositions of Na[Au₂₅(C≡CAr)₁₈] and (Ph₄P)[Au₂₅(C≡CAr)₁₈] (Na? 1 and Ph₄P? 1 , Ar=3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) were synthesized via a direct reduction method. 1 is a magic cluster analogous to [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^? in terms of electron counts and metal‐to‐ligand ratio. Single‐crystal structure analysis reveals that 1 has an identical Au₁₃ kernel to [Au₂₅(SR)₁₈]^?, but adopts a distinctly different arrangement of the six peripheral dimer staple motifs. The steric hindrance of alkynyl ligands is responsible for the D₃ arrangement of Au₂₅. The introduction of alkynyl also significantly changes the optical absorption features of the nanocluster as supported by DFT calculations. This magic cluster confirms that there is a similar but quite different parallel alkynyl‐protected metal cluster universe in comparison to the thiolated one.     

Pentanuclear Gold(I) Cluster with an Axially Chiral Biaryl Center: Synthesis and Chiral Transformation

We synthesized and structurally characterized a novel pentanuclear gold(I) cluster by a Ag(I)‐mediated organometallic transformation. The racemic mixture of this pentanuclear gold cluster has been successfully transformed into an enantio‐rich hexanuclear cluster compound by adding adscititious chiral species [Au₂(S‐BINAP)₂]²⁺ (S‐BINAP = (S)‐2,2’‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1’‐binaphthyl). In this process, a [AuPPh₃]⁺ species in the pentanuclear cluster is replaced by [Au₂(S‐BINAP)₂]²⁺. This strategy represents a new method for the designed construction of chiral metal clusters.