Bonding and Acidity of the Formal Hydride in the Prototypical Au9(PPh3)8H2+ Nanocluster

The role of hydrogen atoms as surface ligands on metal nanoclusters is of profound importance but remains difficult to directly study. While hydrogen atoms often appear to be incorporated formally as hydrides, evidence suggests that they donate electrons to the cluster's delocalized superatomic orbitals and may consequently behave as acidic protons that play key roles in synthetic or catalytic mechanisms. Here we directly test this assertion for the prototypical Au₉(PPh₃)₈H²⁺ nanocluster, formed by addition of a hydride to the well-characterized Au₉(PPh₃)₈³⁺. Using gas-phase infrared spectroscopy, we were able to unambiguously isolate Au₉(PPh₃)₈H²⁺ and Au₉(PPh₃)₈D²⁺, revealing an Au−H stretching mode at 1528 cm⁻¹ that shifts to 1038 cm⁻¹ upon deuteration. This shift is greater than the maximum expected for a typical harmonic potential, suggesting a potential governing cluster-H bonding that has some square-well character consistent with the hydrogen nucleus behaving as a metal atom in the cluster core. Complexing this cluster with very weak bases reveals a redshift of 37 cm⁻¹ in the Au−H vibration, consistent with those typically seen for moderately acidic groups in gas phase molecules and providing an estimate of the acidity of Au₉(PPh₃)₈H²⁺, at least with regard to its surface reactivity.     

四氧化三铁纳米团簇的表面修饰及生物毒性研究

采用微波辅助溶剂热法制备了四氧化三铁(Fe3O4)纳米团簇.为了改善团簇的稳定性,用改进的St(o)ber法,在Fe3O4团簇的表面包覆—层氧化硅(SiO2),成功制备出核-壳结构的Fe3O4@SiO2粒子.用透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、纳米粒度仪、Zeta电位、振动样品磁强计(VSM)、MTT比色法等测试手段,对样品的形貌、结构、粒径分布、胶体稳定性、磁学性质及生物毒性进行了研究,结果表明:所制备的Fe3O4纳米团簇平均尺寸约为60nm,尺寸均匀,在室温下表现出超顺磁性.包覆后的核-壳结构Fe3O4@SiO2粒子平均尺寸约为150 rn,具有良好的水分散性和胶体稳定性,包覆前后的样品均具有低的生物毒性.     

Determination of Thiols by Fluorescence using Au@Ag Nanoclusters as Probes

A simple and label-free fluorescent assay for the sensitive determination of biological thiols was developed using Au@Ag nanoclusters. The sensing approach was based on the strong affinity of thiols to silver on the surface of the nanoclusters. In the presence of thiol-containing amino acids, the fluorescence of the Au@Ag nanoclusters was quenched due to the formation of a non-fluorescent coordination complex via the robust Ag-S bond, which allowed the determination of thiol-containing amino acids in a very simple and rapid way. Under the optimal conditions, an excellent linear relationship was present due to quenching of the Au@Ag nanoclusters over cysteine concentrations between 20 nM and 80 µM with a low detection limit of 5.87 nM. Glutathione was determined between 2 µM and 70 µM with a detection limit of 1.01 µM. In addition, the results reveal that the fluorescent assay has excellent selectivity toward thiol-containing amino acids compared to non-thiol containing amino acids. Moreover, the assay was successfully used to determine cysteine in human plasma, and thus Au@Ag nanoclusters are a suitable fluorescent probe for biological applications.     

Local surface cleaning and cluster assembly using contact mode atomic force microscopy

Conventional contact mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used for local surface cleaning and cluster alignment. By using the AFM tip to sweep and push in contact mode, we have demonstrated that Cu clusters, prepared by vacuum evaporation onto Dow Cyclotene 3022 polymer and subsequent exposure to atmosphere, can easily be moved by the AFM tip, and assembled at the outer edge of the scanned region to form a line of clusters. We have found that the force applied by the tip plays an important role in the ease of cluster motion. Cyclotene surface treatment that enhances cluster adhesion hinders this ability, and may be used as a method of nanofabrication.     

碱性环境下硫脲协调铬黑T稳定的银纳米簇的制备

银纳米簇因有特殊的物理和化学性质,具有广泛的应用前景和研究价值.由于其易发生团聚,探索制备具有强荧光特性、稳定存在、粒径小的银纳米簇的方法具有重要的意义.本文发展了以铬黑T为稳定剂、硫脲为协调稳定剂,在碱性环境中快速制备银纳米簇的方法.在最优条件下,制备的银纳米簇的平均粒径为1.67 nm,粒径主要分布在0.74～3....     

Distinguishable Targeting of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Hyaluronan Functionalized Platinum Nanoclusters and Their Inhibition Behaviors of Proliferation,Invasion, Migration

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and most cancer patients receiving conventional chemotherapy suffer from severe side effects due to the non-selective effects of chemotherapeutic drugs on normal cells. Targeted nanomaterials can obtain excellent accumulation at the tumor site through their active or passive targeting mechanisms, thereby reducing the toxicity of the drugs in various ways. In this study, hyaluronic acid (HA) which could specifically bind to CD44 on the surface of tumor cells, was used to modify amine-caged platinum nanoclusters (Pt NCs-NH₂) to obtain targeting HA-Pt NCs-NH₂. Based on the differential expression of CD44 on the surface of three lung cells (non-small cell lung cancer cell H1299, small cell lung cancer cell H446, and embryonic lung fibroblast HFL1), HA-Pt NCs-NH₂ can differentially enter the three cells and achieve their targeting of non-small cell lung cancer cell (NSCLC) cells. Pt NCs significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells and induced their apoptosis in comparison of classical cisplatin and carboplatin, showing a bright future in early diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC.