@article{Shen2020, 
author = {Hui Shen and Sijin Xiang and Zhen Xu and Chen Liu and Xihua Li and Cunfa Sun and Shuichao Lin and Boon K. Teo and Nanfeng Zheng},
title = {Superatomic Au13 clusters ligated by different N-heterocyclic carbenes and their ligand-dependent catalysis, photoluminescence, and proton sensitivity},
year = {2020},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {13},
number = {7},
pages = {1908-1911},
keywords = {catalysis, luminescence, Au13, gold nanocluster, carbene ligands},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1007/s12274-020-2685-0},
doi = {10.1007/s12274-020-2685-0},
abstract = {We report herein a class of superatomic Au13 clusters stabilized by different N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). The clusters show diverse metal surface structures, properties and functions as exemplified by: (1) the first anionic Au13 cluster [Au13(NHC-1)6Br6]-, which has bulky NHC-1 ligands that lead to a rather open metal surface contributing to its high catalytic activity; (2) the tricationic cluster [Au13(NHC-2)5Br2]3+ which has bidentate, benzyl-rich NHC-2 ligands that make it ultra-stable and highly-luminescent, suitable for bio-imaging; and (3) by bearing two pyridyl groups on NHC-3, the dicationic cluster [Au13(NHC-3)9Cl3]2+ exhibits reversible and stable visible absorption and solubility responses to protonation/deprotonation cycles, making it a potential pH sensor (NHC-1 = 1,3-diisopropylbenzimidazolin-2-ylidene; NHC-2 = 1,3-bis(1-benzyl-1H-benzimidazol-1-ium-3-yl)propane; NHC-3 = 1,3-bis(picolyl)benzimidazolin-2-ylidene). The study nicely demonstrates the importance of ligands in designing metal nanoclusters with desired functionalities.}
}