Interdependence between nanoclusters AuAg24 and Au2Ag41

Danyu Liu; Wenjun Du; Shuang Chen; Xi Kang; Along Chen; Yaru Zhen; Shan Jin; Daqiao Hu; Shuxin Wang; Manzhou Zhu

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-21131-5

Interdependence between nanoclusters AuAg₂₄ and Au₂Ag₄₁

Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 3;12(1):778. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21131-5.

Authors

Danyu Liu^{1

2}, Wenjun Du^{1

2}, Shuang Chen³, Xi Kang^{1

2}, Along Chen^{1

2}, Yaru Zhen^{1

2}, Shan Jin³, Daqiao Hu^{4

5}, Shuxin Wang^{6

7}, Manzhou Zhu^{8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
² Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
³ Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China. hudaqiao@ahu.edu.cn.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China. hudaqiao@ahu.edu.cn.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China. shuxin_wang@qust.edu.cn.
⁷ College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, People's Republic of China. shuxin_wang@qust.edu.cn.
⁸ Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China. zmz@ahu.edu.cn.
⁹ Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials, Anhui University, Ministry of Education, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China. zmz@ahu.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China. zmz@ahu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Whole series of nanoparticles have now been reported, but probing the competing or coexisting effects in their synthesis and growth remains challenging. Here, we report a bi-nanocluster system comprising two ultra-small, atomically precise nanoclusters, AuAg₂₄(SR)₁₈^- and Au₂Ag₄₁(SR)₂₆(Dppm)₂⁺ (SR = cyclohexyl mercaptan, Dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)-methane). The mechanism by which these two nanoclusters coexist is elucidated, and found to entail formation of the unstable AuAg₂₄(SR)₁₈^-, followed by its partial conversion to Au₂Ag₄₁(SR)₂₆(Dppm)₂⁺ in the presence of di-phosphorus ligands, and an interdependent bi-nanocluster system is established, wherein the two oppositely charged nanoclusters protect each other from decomposition. AuAg₂₄(SR)₁₈ and Au₂Ag₄₁(SR)₂₆(Dppm)₂ are fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) analysis - it is found that their co-crystallization results in single crystals comprising equimolar amounts of each. The findings highlight the interdependent relationship between two individual nanoclusters, which paves the way for new perspectives on nanocluster formation and stability.

Grants and funding

21871001/National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)