title: Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters with Interlocked Staples and a Fully Thiolate-Bound Kernel.
abstract: The structural features that render gold nanoclusters intrinsically fluorescent are currently not well understood. To address this issue, highly fluorescent gold nanoclusters have to be synthesized, and their structures must be determined. We herein report the synthesis of three fluorescent Au24 (SR)20 nanoclusters (R=C2 H4 Ph, CH2 Ph, or CH2 C6 H4 (t) Bu). According to UV/Vis/NIR, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis, these three nanoclusters adopt similar structures that feature a bi-tetrahedral Au8 kernel protected by four tetrameric Au4 (SR)5 motifs. At least two structural features are responsible for the unusual fluorescence of the Au24 (SR)20 nanoclusters: Two pairs of interlocked Au4 (SR)5 staples reduce the vibration loss, and the interactions between the kernel and the thiolate motifs enhance electron transfer from the ligand to the kernel moiety through the Au-S bonds, thereby enhancing the fluorescence. This work provides some clarification of the structure-fluorescence relationship of such clusters.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Zibao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yuejian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
authors.forename: Lun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Guangmei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Facility, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230029, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Zhengjie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Chuanhao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Linhong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Lingwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Jishi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
authors.forename: Chengming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: National Synchrotron Radiation Facility, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230029, China.
authors.forename: Shiqiang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanostructures, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China. zkwu@issp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Zhikun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
keywords: fluorescence; gold; nanoclusters; synthetic methods