Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Li Tang, Zhengmao Yin, Ru Wang, Bin Wang, Kefan Jiang, Mei Ding, Shuxin Wang
Summary: In this study, two compounds Cd12Ag32-1 and Cd12Ag32-2 were synthesized and structurally determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The selective adsorption of phosphine ligands caused by different types of thiol ligands was found. Additionally, Cd12Ag32-1 exhibited a unique stacking pattern in a superlattice with multiple inter-cluster channels. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the effect of mixed ligands on nanocluster formation and the correlation between structure and properties.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kaiyuan Zheng, Magdiel I. Setyawati, David Tai Leong, Jianping Xie
Summary: The study utilized luminescent gold NCs as traceable antimicrobial agents to demonstrate their interaction with bacteria, revealing a mechanism where the NCs accumulate inside bacteria and induce reactive oxygen species generation.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Jing Yang, Ya-Xuan Zhu, Pengpeng Lu, Baofeng Zhu, Fu-Gen Wu
Summary: Quaternized silica nanoparticles with excellent antibacterial properties were prepared and shown to effectively disrupt bacterial cell envelope and kill bacteria.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Sonia, Komal, Shrikant Kukreti, Mahima Kaushik
Summary: Gold nanoclusters with core size below 2 nm exhibit unique physical and chemical properties, synthesized with the assistance of templates or ligands for stability and high quantum yield, enabling diverse applications across interdisciplinary fields.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Julia McKay, Michael J. Cowan, Cristian A. Morales-Rivera, Giannis Mpourmpakis
Summary: Thiolate-protected metal nanoclusters (TPNCs) have garnered significant interest for their stability, precise structure, and physicochemical properties. Through computational studies, strong correlation between metal-sulfur and sulfur-ligand bond dissociation energies has been identified, providing a pathway for predicting TPNC ligand removal energetics. Computational results also shed light on the kinetic favorability of breaking S-R over M-S bonds in certain complexes, aiding in the targeted design of TPNC catalysts.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Site Li, Anantha Venkataraman Nagarajan, Shuo Zhao, Giannis Mpourmpakis, Rongchao Jin
Summary: Research shows that atomically precise, heterometal-doped Ag nanoclusters exhibit better catalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by tuning the energy required for active-site exposure and the thermodynamic feasibility of exposing sulfur active sites. Palladium and platinum-doped nanoclusters have nearly thermoneutral formation energy for the catalytically active sites, leading to higher catalytic activity for the ORR. Both computational and experimental results consistently demonstrate the higher electrocatalytic activity of the doped nanoclusters for the oxygen reduction reaction.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Po-Yen Yu, Yu-Shan Chen, Hui-Hsuan Yu, Fang- Chen, Zhi-Wen Chen, Ching-Ping Liu
Summary: In this study, the oxidase-like activity of bovine serum albumin stabilized gold nanoclusters and gold nanoparticles with different wavelengths was systematically investigated. The results showed that only the gold nanoclusters exhibited photo-activated oxidase-like activity, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was more efficient compared to gold nanoparticles. Additionally, the interaction between the gold nanoclusters and copper ions further confirmed that singlet oxygen was the key reactive species in the photo-oxidase reaction. This research provides new insights into controlling the generation of singlet oxygen by gold nanoclusters, which could be useful for the design of other photocatalytic and photodynamic applications.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anish Kumar Das, Sourav Biswas, Vaibhav S. Wani, Akhil S. Nair, Biswarup Pathak, Sukhendu Mandal
Summary: This study reports a new thiol-protected copper nanocluster with a rare Cu(0)-containing core. The unique structure and electronic properties of this nanocluster enable it to exhibit violet emission at room temperature through charge transfer phenomena. The optical properties are further enhanced by confining the surface protecting ligands with β-cyclodextrin supramolecular adduct formation.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wentao Fan, Nan Yan, Jun Zha, Wanmiao Gu, Qing You, Ying Yang, Shengli Zhuang, Zhikun Wu
Summary: Understanding the evolution of metal nanoclusters' properties through regulation of their electronic structure is both important and challenging. Previous research has shown that the optical properties of metal nanoclusters with anisotropic structures are highly influenced by their longitudinal electronic structure. However, the manipulation of optical properties through regulation of the electronic structure via longitudinal dithiolate substitutions has not been reported. In this study, we successfully achieved the longitudinal single-dithiolate replacement of metal nanoclusters and obtained two novel nanoclusters, Au28(SPh-tBu)18(SCH2SCH2S) and Au28(SPh-tBu)18(SCH2CH2CH2S). Both experimental and theoretical results demonstrated the regulation of the electronic structure in the z (longitudinal) and x directions, resulting in absorption redshift and photoluminescence enhancement. These findings deepen our understanding of the correlation between property and electronic structure in metal nanoclusters and provide guidance for subtle property tuning.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wentao Fan, Nan Yan, Jun Zha, Wanmiao Gu, Qing You, Ying Yang, Shengli Zhuang, Zhikun Wu
Summary: Understanding the property evolution of metal nanoclusters through regulation of their electronic structure is important but challenging. Previous research has shown that the optical properties of anisotropic metal nanoclusters are greatly influenced by their longitudinal electronic structure. However, the manipulation of their optical properties through longitudinal dithiolate substitutions has not been reported. In this study, we achieved the replacement of dithiolates in metal nanoclusters and observed the regulation of their electronic structure, resulting in absorption redshift and enhancement of photoluminescence. These findings deepen our understanding of the property-electronic structure correlation of metal nanoclusters and provide guidance for their precise tuning.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Krishnadas Kumaranchira Ramankutty, Huayan Yang, Ani Baghdasaryan, Jeremie Teyssier, Valentin Paul Nicu, Thomas Buergi
Summary: We study distinct molecule-like and lattice vibrational properties of atomically precise, ligand-protected metal clusters using low-temperature Raman spectroscopy. Our results show the fingerprint Raman spectra of different metal clusters and how these spectra change with variations in metal atoms and/or ligands. This highlights the importance of low-frequency Raman spectroscopy in understanding the vibrational dynamics of other materials.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Huanzong Zhang, Binhuang Cai, Fan Cai, Mingzhe Lian, Yinghui Wang
Summary: A facile fluorescence immunoassay was developed for highly sensitive screening of pepsinogen I (PG I). The synthesis of gold nanocluster-anchored manganese dioxide nanosheets through a one-pot biomimetic mineralization process enabled the generation of ascorbic acid (AA) in the presence of PG I, enhancing fluorescence intensity. The method exhibited good stability and anti-interference capability.
ANALYTICAL METHODS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yu-Jin Kong, Jia-Hua Hu, Xi-Yan Dong, Yubing Si, Zhao-Yang Wang, Xi-Ming Luo, Hong-Ren Li, Zongwei Chen, Shuang-Quan Zang, Thomas C. W. Mak
Summary: Understanding the contributions of chiral and achiral sections in chiral nanostructures to circularly polarized light emission (CPLE) is fundamentally important. This study investigates the effects of homochiral and heterochiral structures on CPLE using two pairs of atomically precise enantiomers. The findings reveal that the metal bonding in the heterochiral structure activates CPLE by altering the delocalization of orbitals and the proportion of achiral and chiral sections in electron transition-involved orbitals, providing new insights for the development of CPLE nanoparticles.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiangtao Zhao, Abolfazl Ziarati, Arnulf Rosspeintner, Yanan Wang, Thomas Buergi
Summary: The conversion of hydrophobic Au25PET18 nanoclusters to Au25SR19 nanoclusters was achieved through ligand exchange reactions with thiolated terpyridine-metal complexes. The preference for ligand addition or exchange was found to be metal dependent. The photophysical properties of the resulting Au25SR19 nanoclusters were significantly different from those of Au25PET18.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Denver P. Linklater, Xavier Le Guevel, Gary Bryant, Vladimir A. Baulin, Eva Pereiro, Palalle G. Tharushi Perera, Jason Wandiyanto, Saulius Juodkazis, Elena P. Ivanova
Summary: This study reveals the antimicrobial mechanism of atomically precise gold nanoclusters, demonstrating their ability to passively translocate across bacterial membranes and cause internal damage to bacteria, ultimately leading to cell death.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Moshuqi Zhu, Qiaofeng Yao, Zhihe Liu, Jian Liu, Minghua Liu, Minnan Long, Jianping Xie
Summary: In this study, white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) based on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) of Au nanoclusters (NCs) induced by ionic liquids were fabricated. By electrostatically bonding Au NCs with ionic liquids, both blue emission from the ionic liquids and enhanced cluster emission through intercluster AIE mechanism were achieved. The overall white emission of the composites was further improved by encapsulating them into nanogels templated by cationic chitosan.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haohua Deng, Kaiyuan Huang, Lingfang Xiu, Weiming Sun, Qiaofeng Yao, Xiangyu Fang, Xin Huang, Hamada A. A. Noreldeen, Huaping Peng, Jianping Xie, Wei Chen
Summary: Researchers have increased the photoluminescence quantum yield of water-soluble gold clusters at the single-cluster level by forming bis-Schiff base linkages, providing important insights for enhancing the luminescence efficiency of gold clusters.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hang Qian, Dong Wang, Binfeng He, Qian Liu, Yu Xu, Di Wu, Chunfa Chen, Wen Zhang, David Tai Leong, Guansong Wang
Summary: In this study, a strategy was proposed to deliver metformin and siRNA using self-assembled DNA nanostructures. The assembled metformin/DNA nanocomplex exhibited high stability and resistance in physiological conditions and showed a strong synergistic antitumor effect against lung cancer. The research suggests that assembling DNA nanostructures with small molecules is crucial for expanding their applications.
NPG ASIA MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ritika Malhotra, Christian Eberhard Halbig, Yu Fan Sim, Chwee Teck Lim, David Tai Leong, A. H. Castro Neto, Slaven Garaj, Vinicius Rosa
Summary: Graphene and other 2D materials have made significant contributions to science and technology. However, the lack of quality control and toxicity assessment has become a concern. This study investigates the cytotoxicity of 36 products labeled as graphene and reveals that the presence of impurities is the main determinant of cellular toxicity in these commercially available materials.
NPJ 2D MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huiting Shan, Jiafu Shi, Tiankai Chen, Yitao Cao, Qiaofeng Yao, Hua An, Zhucheng Yang, Zhenhua Wu, Zhongyi Jiang, Jianping Xie
Summary: Metal nanoclusters with ligands have great potential as enzyme mimics in various fields. In this study, the role of ligands in modulating the activity and stability of Au nanoclusters as peroxidase mimics is explored. It is found that the ligand N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) enhances the structural stability and catalytic activity of Au15(NAC)13 compared to 3-mercapto-propionic acid (MPA) and 3-mercapto-2-methylpropanoic acid (MMPA). This work provides insights into the ligand-engineered electronic structure and enzymatic functionality of metal nanoclusters for artificial enzyme design.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Biao Wu, Xin-Xiong Li, Shou-Tian Zheng, Jianping Xie
Summary: The compound Ag-34, which contains a polyoxoniobate (PONb) template, was synthesized using the solvothermal method combined with volatilization. This is the first successful isolation of a silver cluster with PONb template. The luminescence, solution behavior, and solid-state stability of Ag-34 were extensively studied. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry confirmed the integrity of Ag-34's skeleton in solution. Its unique luminescent behavior shows potential for temperature detection. This work is expected to inspire further research on PONb-templated high-nuclearity silver clusters.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuan Zhong, Jiangwei Zhang, Tingting Li, Wenwu Xu, Qiaofeng Yao, Min Lu, Xue Bai, Zhennan Wu, Jianping Xie, Yu Zhang
Summary: The researchers discovered that suppressing the vibration of the metal core can enhance the emission intensity of luminescent metal nanoclusters. By rigidifying the surface and propagating strains into the metal core, they achieved a high absolute quantum yield of 90.3 +/- 3.5% for solution-phase gold nanoclusters. The rigidified surface influenced the low-frequency acoustic vibration of the metal core, resulting in a subtle change in vibration frequency and reduction in amplitude, thus inhibiting non-radiative relaxation and leading to strong emission.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Qian Liu, Di Wu, Binfeng He, Xiaotong Ding, Yu Xu, Ying Wang, Mingzhou Zhang, Hang Qian, David Tai Leong, Guansong Wang
Summary: Vascular endothelium dysfunction is important in oncological and pulmonary diseases. This study proposes a strategy using endothelial targeting DNA nanostructures to deliver Atg101 siRNA and restore pulmonary arterial endothelial barrier integrity. The functionalized DNA nanostructures attenuated hypoxia-induced pulmonary endothelial leakiness and vascular remodeling. Mechanistically, they suppressed PVR by downregulating Atg101 and upregulating VE-cadherin.
NANOSCALE HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Feng Xiao, Yao Chen, Jie Qi, Qiaofeng Yao, Jianping Xie, Xingyu Jiang
Summary: In this study, a modified nanoparticle aggregate (AP(1)P(2)-PEG NCs) was designed for the treatment of unresectable solid liver tumors. The findings suggest that the nanoparticle aggregate can achieve the mutual promotion of autophagy and apoptosis in liver tumor cells, leading to a better anti-tumor effect.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhihe Liu, Hua Tan, Bo Li, Zehua Hu, De-en Jiang, Qiaofeng Yao, Lei Wang, Jianping Xie
Summary: In this study, the ligand effects of atomically precise metal nanoclusters on electrocatalysis kinetics were investigated. Atomically precise Au-25 nanoclusters with different ligands were used as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. It was found that Au-25 nanoclusters capped by para-mercaptobenzoic acid exhibited significantly higher performance compared to those capped by other ligands. Mechanistic insights were provided to support the use of atomically precise metal nanoclusters as effective electrocatalysts.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ge Yang, Xinxin Pan, Wenbi Feng, Qiaofeng Yao, Fuyi Jiang, Fanglin Du, Xianfeng Zhou, Jianping Xie, Xun Yuan
Summary: A theranostic probe based on ultrasmall Au nanoclusters is designed for photoluminescence imaging-guided phototherapies and immunotherapy. The probe allows imaging of tumors and enables photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and cancer immunotherapy. The study shows promising results in suppressing tumor growth.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Magdiel Inggrid Setyawati, Qin Wang, Nengyi Ni, Jie Kai Tee, Katsuhiko Ariga, Pu Chun Ke, Han Kiat Ho, Yucai Wang, David Tai Leong
Summary: Traditional nanomedicine relies on tumor induced EPR effect for drug delivery. Here the authors show that gold nanoparticles are independently able to induce leakiness at tumor vasculature to enhance the tumor killing effect.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Changlin Zhou, Meng Wang, Qiaofeng Yao, Yu Zhou, Chuantao Hou, Jianfei Xia, Zonghua Wang, Jishi Chen, Jianping Xie
Summary: Weakly polar solvents induce aggregation, enhancing the photoacoustic intensity and conversion efficiency of metal nanoclusters. The intensity and efficiency are highly dependent on the degree of aggregation, which is positively correlated to the protected ligands. Aggregation inhibits intermolecular energy transfer, leading to increased photoacoustic energy.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ge Yang, Xueluer Mu, Xinxin Pan, Ying Tang, Qiaofeng Yao, Yaru Wang, Fuyi Jiang, Fanglin Du, Jianping Xie, Xianfeng Zhou, Xun Yuan
Summary: In this study, a novel Au nanoclusters (NCs)-based probe was designed for precise cancer theranostics. The probe conjugates photoluminescent (PL) Au-44 NCs with aromatic photoacoustic (PA)/photothermal molecules through click chemistry. With strong NIR-II PL, high photothermal conversion efficiency, low cytotoxicity, appropriate renal clearance, and enhanced EPR effect, the probe achieves ultradeep NIR-II PL/PA imaging-guided cancer photothermal therapy.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shihua Li, Jing Wei, Qiaofeng Yao, Xiaorong Song, Jianping Xie, Huanghao Yang
Summary: Photoluminescence (PL) imaging is a critical tool for disease diagnosis, therapeutic evaluation, and surgical navigation. However, developing high-efficiency nanoprobes for in vivo imaging and clinical translation remains a challenge. This review discusses the progress in engineering sub-10 nm ultrasmall luminescent nanoprobes for in vivo PL bioimaging and highlights their unique advantages. The challenges in this field and strategies for improving in vivo PL bioimaging and clinical applications are also addressed.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jianqiu Yang, Zhenzhen Huang, Jiang Tan, Jingye Pan, Shixuan Chen, Wenbing Wan
Summary: By functionalizing a decellularized pomelo peel with an adhesive hydrogel and antibacterial materials, the hybrid wound dressing can effectively inhibit bacterial infection, promote granulation tissue formation and angiogenesis, and reduce scar formation during wound healing.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yong Mei, Xiaohua Qin, Zhenyu Yang, Shiyao Song, Xiaoting Liu, Chong Wu, Jieying Qian, Xiaowan Huang, Yunjiao Zhang, Weiling He
Summary: This article presents a novel nanoparticle for treating KRAS-TP53 co-mutation in gastrointestinal cancers. The nanoparticle can degrade mutant p53 proteins (mutp53) and deliver the drug AMG510 to inhibit mutant KRAS and mutp53 signaling pathways. The results show that the nanoparticle can effectively reduce cell proliferation and migration, and demonstrate remarkable therapeutic efficacy in a tumor-bearing mouse model.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2024)