Molecular reactivity of thiolate-protected noble metal nanoclusters: synthesis, self-assembly, and applications

Thiolate-protected noble metal (e.g., Au and Ag) nanoclusters (NCs) are ultra-small particles with a core size of less than 3 nm. Due to the strong quantum confinement effects and diverse atomic packing modes in this ultra-small size regime, noble metal NCs exhibit numerous molecule-like optical, magnetic, and electronic properties, making them an emerging family of “metallic molecules”. Based on such molecule-like structures and properties, an individual noble metal NC behaves as a molecular entity in many chemical reactions, and exhibits structurally sensitive molecular reactivity to various ions, molecules, and other metal NCs. Although this molecular reactivity determines the application of NCs in various fields such as sensors, biomedicine, and catalysis, there is still a lack of systematic summary of the molecular interaction/reaction fundamentals of noble metal NCs at the molecular and atomic levels in the current literature. Here, we discuss the latest progress in understanding and exploiting the molecular interactions/reactions of noble metal NCs in their synthesis, self-assembly and application scenarios, based on the typical M(0)@M(i)–SR core–shell structure scheme, where M and SR are the metal atom and thiolate ligand, respectively. In particular, the continuous development of synthesis and characterization techniques has enabled noble metal NCs to be produced with molecular purity and atomically precise structural resolution. Such molecular purity and atomically precise structure, coupled with the great help of theoretical calculations, have revealed the active sites in various structural hierarchies of noble metal NCs (e.g., M(0) core, M–S interface, and SR ligand) for their molecular interactions/reactions. The anatomy of such molecular interactions/reactions of noble metal NCs in synthesis, self-assembly, and applications (e.g., sensors, biomedicine, and catalysis) constitutes another center of our discussion. The basis and practicality of the molecular interactions/reactions of noble metal NCs exemplified in this Review may increase the acceptance of metal NCs in various fields.