Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Gold Nanoclusters: Size-Controlled Synthesis
and Crystal Structures
Chenjie Zeng and Rongchao Jin
Abstract One of the major goals in nanoparticle research is to investigate their
unique properties not seen in bulk materials or small molecules. In this chapter, we
focus on a new class of gold nanoparticles (often called nanoclusters) that possess
atomic precision (as opposed to conventional nanoparticles with a size distribu-
tion). The synthetic methods for obtaining atomically precise thiolate-protected
gold nanocluters are first discussed, followed by the anatomy of the X-ray crystal
structures of gold nanoclusters.
Keywords Atomic precision
Crystal structure
Gold
Nanocluster
Size-focusing
Thiol
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................. 88
2 Ligand-Protected Gold Nanoclusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
3 Thiolate-Protected Gold Nanoclusters . . . ................................................... 90
4 Size-Controlled Synthesis of Gold Nanoclusters with Atomic Precision ................. 91
4.1 Size-Focusing Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
4.2 Other Methods for Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5 Structures of Gold Nanoclusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
5.1 Non-FCC Structures of Gold Nanoclusters . . . ....................................... 102
5.2 FCC Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
6 Summary ..................................................................................... 110
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
