Atomically precise nanoclusters have been intensively studied due to their wide range of applications in catalysis, optics, biomedicine, chemical sensing etc. Understanding their formation process, namely nucleation and growth regimes, and the key influencing parameters, would be in favor of establishing effective means to engineer nanomaterial’ structure to achieve the target properties. Herein, we demonstrate that by subtly tuning the electron donating nature of the surfactant ligands, it allows one to create a hollow Bi6O8 cage, which displays less rigidity than the conventional solid Bi6O9 core. Through an epaxial crystal growth process, it eventually directs to a more distorting Bi38O44 nanocluster, whose atomic structure has been acquired and confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, NMR and mass spectrometry techniques. In addition, the new nanocluster optical activities, including absorption and photofluorescence behavior have been investigated.

Softening the rigidity of a nanocluster’s inner core by tuning electron donating nature of the surface ligands

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.