Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 670-674.doi: 10.1007/s40242-024-4104-7

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Hierarchical Self-assembly of Atomically Precise Au Nanoclusters with Molecular Rotor-based Ligands

WANG Guanzhong1,2, LU Hui3, LI Jiang4, WANG Lihua4, ZHU Ying4, SONG Shiping4, GE Zhilei5, LI Qian5, CHEN Jing4, FAN Chunhai5   

  1. 1. Division of Physical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, P. R. China;
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China;
    3. Zhangjiang Laboratory, Shanghai 201210, P. R. China;
    4. Institute of Materiobiology, Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, P. R. China;
    5. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Zhangjiang Institute for Advanced Study and National Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China
  • Received:2024-04-23 Online:2024-08-01 Published:2024-07-24
  • Contact: FAN Chunhai,fanchunhai@sjtu.edu.cn;CHEN Jing,chenjing929@shu.edu.cn E-mail:fanchunhai@sjtu.edu.cn;chenjing929@shu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2023YFC3404200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21974147, 22325406), the 2022 Shanghai “Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan” Fundamental Research Project, China (No. 22JC1401203), and the Science Foundation of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, China (No. 21dz2210100).

Abstract: The hierarchical assemblies of precise nanoparticles (NPs) have created materials with emergent properties and functionalities. However, the complex assemblies remain unclear at a precise scale. Here, we show the hierarchical self-assembly of atomically precise gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) with molecular rotor-based ligands (MRL), featuring a double-layer surface. Compared to two other types of monolayer-protected (MLP) Au NCs, the significantly reduced surface density for MRL Au NCs profoundly influences their assembly behavior within the lattice. Furthermore, the long length of rotor-based ligands and the rotational freedom of the phenyl-rings of rotor-based ligands also facilitate the assembly of NCs. Our works elucidate the hierarchical assembly on a precise scale, suggesting that the rotor-based ligand’s strategy offers promising potential for designing well-defined and more complex structures in supercrystals.

Key words: Gold nanocluster, Molecular rotor, Hierarchical assembly, Double-layer surface