Special and general superatoms

Main Group Metal-Actinide Magnetic Coupling and Structural Response Upon U(4+) Inclusion Into Bi, Tl/Bi, or Pb/Bi Cages

The encapsulation of actinide ions in intermetalloid clusters has long been proposed but was never realized synthetically. We report the isolation and experimental, as well as quantum chemical, characterization of the uranium-centered clusters [U@Bi12](3-), [U@Tl2Bi11](3-), [U@Pb7Bi7](3-), and [U@Pb4Bi9](3-), upon reaction of (EE'Bi2)(2-) (E = Ga, Tl, E' = Bi; E = E' = Pb) and [U(C5Me4H)3] or [U(C5Me4H)3Cl] in 1,2-diaminoethane. For [U@Bi12](3-), magnetic susceptibility measurements rationalize an unprecedented antiferromagnetic coupling between a magnetic U(4+) site and a unique radical Bi12(7-) shell.

From isosuperatoms to isosupermolecules: new concepts in cluster science

As an extension of the superatom concept, a new concept "isosuperatom" is proposed, reflecting the physical phenomenon that a superatom cluster can take multiple geometrical structures with their electronic structures topologically invariant. The icosahedral and cuboctahedral Au13(5+) units in the Au25(SCH2CH2Ph)18(-), Au23(SC6H11)16(-) and Au24(SAdm)16 nanoclusters are found to be examples of this concept. Furthermore, two isosuperatoms can combine to form a supermolecule. For example, the structure of the {Ag32(DPPE)5(SC6H4CF3)24}(2-) nanocluster can be understood well in terms of a Ag22(12+) supermolecule formed by two Ag13(8+) isosuperatoms. On the next level of complexity, various combinations of isosuperatoms can lead to supermolecules with different geometrical structures but similar electronic structures, i.e., "isosupermolecules". We take two synthesized nanoclusters Au20(PPhpy2)10Cl4(2+) and Au30S(StBu)18 to illustrate two Au20(6+) isosupermolecules. The proposed concepts of isosuperatom and isosupermolecule significantly enrich the superatom concept, give a new framework for understanding a wide range of nanoclusters, and open a new door for designing assembled materials.

Peptide protected gold clusters: chemical synthesis and biomedical applications

Bridging the gap between atoms and nanoparticles, noble metal clusters with atomic precision continue to attract considerable attention due to their important applications in catalysis, energy transformation, biosensing and biomedicine. Greatly different to common chemical synthesis, a one-step biomimetic synthesis of peptide-conjugated metal clusters has been developed to meet the demand of emerging bioapplications. Under mild conditions, multifunctional peptides containing metal capturing, reactive and targeting groups are rationally designed and elaborately synthesized to fabricate atomically precise peptide protected metal clusters. Among them, peptide-protected Au Cs (peptide-Au Cs) possess a great deal of exceptional advantages such as nanometer dimensions, high photostability, good biocompatibility, accurate chemical formula and specific protein targeting capacity. In this review article, we focus on the recent advances in potential theranostic fields by introducing the rising progress of peptide-Au Cs for biological imaging, biological analysis and therapeutic applications. The interactions between Au Cs and biological systems as well as potential mechanisms are also our concerned theme. We expect that the rapidly growing interest in Au Cs-based theranostic applications will attract broader concerns across various disciplines.

On the Potential of Using the Al7 Superatom as an Excess Electron Acceptor To Construct Materials with Excellent Nonlinear Optical Properties

With the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we found that, when alkali metal approaches the Al7 superatom, its outermost s-value electron can be trapped by Al7 to give the superatom compound MAl7 (M = Li, Na, K) with an excess electron. Different analyses including natural bond orbital (NBO), electron localization function (ELF), and energy decomposition analysis (EDA) show that the resulting M-Al bond is strong and has a polar covalent character. The optimizations of self-assemblies (MAl7)n (n = 2, 3) have been performed to explore the stability of MAl7 in the solid state. The results reveal that only NaAl7 can keep its structural integrity as a building block upon self-assembling, while serious aggregations between Al7 clusters occur in the dimers and trimers of LiAl7 and KAl7, despite the fact that the Li-Al7 and K-Al7 bond energies are comparable to that of Na-Al7. Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations for (NaAl7)n (n = 2, 3) indicate that these species are stable toward fragmentation at 300 K. The β0 values of (NaAl7)n (n = 1, 2, and 3) predicted at the CAM-B3LYP/6-311+G(3df) level of theory are in the range of 1.6 × 10(4)a.u. to 7.5 × 10(4) a.u.. This theoretical study implies that NaAl7 is a promising candidate for nolinear optical (NLO) materials. We provide theoretical evidence for the possibility of using the Al7 superatom as an excess electron acceptor to construct materials with excellent NLO properties. Further experimental research is invited.

What determines if a ligand activates or passivates a superatom cluster?

Quantum confinement in small metal clusters leads to a bunching of states into electronic shells reminiscent of shells in atoms, enabling the classification of clusters as superatoms.

Quantum confinement in small metal clusters leads to a bunching of states into electronic shells reminiscent of shells in atoms, enabling the classification of clusters as superatoms. The addition of ligands tunes the valence electron count of metal clusters and appears to serve as protecting groups preventing the etching of the metallic cores. Through a joint experimental and theoretical study of the reactivity of methanol with aluminum clusters ligated with iodine, we find that ligands enhance the stability of some clusters, however in some cases the electronegative ligand may perturb the charge density of the metallic core generating active sites that can lead to the etching of the cluster. The reactivity is driven by Lewis acid and Lewis base active sites that form through the selective positioning of the iodine and the structure of the aluminum core. This study enriches the general knowledge on clusters including offering insight into the stability of ligand protected clusters synthesized via wet chemistry.

Understanding of multimetallic cluster growth

The elucidation of formation mechanisms is mandatory for understanding and planning of synthetic routes. For (bio-)organic and organometallic compounds, this has long been realized even for very complicated molecules, whereas the formation of ligand-free inorganic molecules has widely remained a black box to date. This is due to poor structural relationships between reactants and products and the lack of structurally related intermediates—due to the comparably high coordination flexibility of involved atoms. Here we report on investigations of the stepwise formation of multimetallic clusters, based on a series of crystal structures and complementary quantum-chemical studies of (Ge₂As₂)²⁻, (Ge₇As₂)²⁻, [Ta@Ge₆As₄]³⁻, [Ta@Ge₈As₄]³⁻ and [Ta@Ge₈As₆]³⁻. The study makes use of efficient quantum-chemical tools, enabling the first detailed screening of the energy hypersurface along the formation of ligand-free inorganic species for a semi-quantitative picture. The results can be generalized for an entire family of multimetallic clusters.

Elucidation of formation mechanisms of inorganic cluster compounds is challenging due to the high coordination flexibility of the atoms involved. Here, the authors combine crystallographic and quantum-chemical studies to probe the energy hypersurface of a series of multimetallic clusters.

Reactions of metal cluster anions with inorganic and organic molecules in the gas phase

Progress on the activation and transformation of important inorganic and organic molecules by negatively charged bare metal clusters as well as ligated systems with oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, among others.

On the Mechanisms of Hydrogen-Atom Transfer from Water to the Heteronuclear Oxide Cluster [Ga2 Mg2 O5 ](.+) : Remarkable Electronic Structure Effects

Mechanistic insight into the homolytic cleavage of the O-H bond of water by the heteronuclear oxide cluster [Ga2 Mg2 O5 ](.+) has been derived from state-of-the-art gas-phase experiments in conjunction with quantum chemical calculations. Three pathways have been identified computationally. In addition to the conventional hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) to the radical center of a bridging oxygen atom, two mechanistically distinct proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET) processes have been identified. The energetically most favored path involves initial coordination of the incoming water ligand to a magnesium atom followed by an intramolecular proton transfer to the lone-pair of the bridging oxygen atom. This step, which is accomplished by an electronic reorganization, generates two structurally equivalent OH groups either of which can be liberated, in agreement with labeling experiments.

Tuning Properties in Silver Clusters

The properties of Ag nanoclusters are not as well understood as those of their more precious Au cousins. However, a recent surge in the exploration of strategies to tune the physicochemical characteristics of Ag clusters addresses this imbalance, leading to new insights into their optical, luminescence, crystal habit, metal-core, ligand-shell, and environmental properties. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of the latest strategies along with a brief introduction of the theoretical framework necessary to understand the properties of silver nanoclusters and the basis for their tuning. The advances in cluster research and the future prospects presented in this Perspective will eventually guide the next large systematic study of nanoclusters, resulting in a single collection of data similar to the periodic table of elements.

The Magic Au60 Nanocluster: A New Cluster-Assembled Material with Five Au13 Building Blocks

Herein, we report the synthesis and atomic structure of the cluster-assembled [Au60Se2(Ph3P)10(SeR)15](+) material. Five icosahedral Au13 building blocks from a closed gold ring with Au-Se-Au linkages. Interestingly, two Se atoms (without the phenyl tail) locate in the center of the cluster, stabilized by the Se-(Au)5 interactions. The ring-like nanocluster is unprecedented in previous experimental and theoretical studies of gold nanocluster structures. In addition, our optical and electrochemical studies show that the electronic properties of the icosahedral Au13 units still remain unchanged in the penta-twinned Au60 nanocluster, and this new material might be a promising in optical limiting material. This work offers a basis for deep understanding on controlling the cluster-assembled materials for tailoring their functionalities.

Mimicking the magnetic properties of rare earth elements using superatoms

Rare earth elements (REs) consist of a very important group in the periodic table that is vital to many modern technologies. The mining process, however, is extremely damaging to the environment, making them low yield and very expensive. Therefore, mimicking the properties of REs in a superatom framework is especially valuable but at the same time, technically challenging and requiring advanced concepts about manipulating properties of atom/molecular complexes. Herein, by using photoelectron imaging spectroscopy, we provide original idea and direct experimental evidence that chosen boron-doped clusters could mimic the magnetic characteristics of REs. Specifically, the neutral LaB and NdB clusters are found to have similar unpaired electrons and magnetic moments as their isovalent REs (namely Nd and Eu, respectively), opening up the great possibility in accomplishing rare earth mimicry. Extension of the superatom concept into the rare earth group not only further shows the power and advance of this concept but also, will stimulate more efforts to explore new superatomic clusters to mimic the chemistry of these heavy atoms, which will be of great importance in designing novel building blocks in the application of cluster-assembled nanomaterials. Additionally, based on these experimental findings, a novel "magic boron" counting rule is proposed to estimate the numbers of unpaired electrons in diatomic LnB clusters.

Furthering the chemosensing of silver nanoclusters for ion detection

An eco-friendly silver nanocluster chemosensor for Mn²⁺and I⁻ion detection, differentiation and bioimaging was synthesized. The chemosensing mechanisms were elucidated by microscopic characterization and spectral analyses.

Peeling the onion: a revised model of the electron count for matryoshka clusters

A model for understanding two isoelectronic matryoshka clusters based on a layer-by-layer electron count assignment is presented.

Quantum-size-effect accommodation of gold clusters with altered fluorescence of dyes

Quantum-size-effect accommodation towards Au₂₅ nanoclusters is demonstrated with tunable fluorescence quenching and enhancement of analyte dyes.

Nanostructure formation via post growth of particles

Post growth of nanoparticles enables new nanostructure formation and blurs the boundary between crystals and molecules.