Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bo Peng, Jia-Feng Zhou, Meng Ding, Bing-Qian Shan, Tong Chen, Kun Zhang
Summary: In the past several decades, noble metal nanoclusters (NMNCs) have gained development as an emerging class of luminescent materials due to their superior photo-stability and biocompatibility. However, their luminous quantum yield is relatively low and the physical origin of the bright photoluminescence (PL) of NMNCs remains unclear, limiting their practical application. This mini-review comprehensively introduced the effect of each component (metal core, ligand shell, and interfacial water) on the PL properties of NMNCs and proposed a model in which structural water molecules dominate the p-band intermediate state to give a unified understanding on the PL mechanism of NMNCs and future developments.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
J. Naseer, R. Namachivayam, D. Manikandan, S. Jeyaram, S. Periandy
Summary: Nanoscale silver and copper clusters are prepared in soda-lime glass through sequential ion-exchange technique and thermal annealing process. The optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra confirm their presence, and their temperature-dependent emission peak shift makes them promising materials for temperature sensors.
JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Amita Ummadisingu, Simone Meloni, Alessandro Mattoni, Wolfgang Tress, Michael Graetzel
Summary: The crystal size in metal halide perovskite films has a significant impact on their opto-electronic characteristics, particularly due to the concurrent effects of quantum confinement and size-dependent structural effects resulting in a wider band gap. This phenomenon assists in photo-induced charge separation and is widely applicable in different compositions and deposition methods.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jie Yang, Rongchao Jin
Summary: Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) exhibit molecular-like properties such as excitonic absorption, molecular magnetism, and luminescence. Luminescence, especially in silver NCs, holds potential for biological and chemical sensing applications. Recent advances in luminescent Ag NCs include synthesized sizes, methods of PL enhancement, and promising applications.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Optics
Tristan Madeleine, Giampaolo D'alessandro, Malgosia Kaczmarek
Summary: Plasmonic resonances in sub-wavelength cavities formed by metallic nanocubes separated from a metallic surface by a dielectric gap have potential applications in spectroscopy, enhanced light emission, and optomechanics. However, the limited choice of metals and size constraints restrict the optical wavelength range of these applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhongyu Liu, Yingwei Li, Ellen Kahng, Shan Xue, Xiangsha Du, Site Li, Rongchao Jin
Summary: The study investigates the effects of ligands on the electron-phonon interactions in Au nanoclusters by synthesizing four Au25(SR)18- NCs protected by different -SR ligands and analyzing their temperature-dependent band-gap renormalization behavior. It is found that the high-frequency optical phonons are suppressed in aromatic-ligand-protected Au25 NCs, with a low-frequency breathing mode and quadrupolar mode identified as the main contributors to the phonon-assisted nonradiative relaxation pathway. This contrasts with non-aromatic-ligand-protected Au25 NCs, where tangential and radial modes play key roles. Additionally, the study shows that the suppression of optical phonons leads to higher quantum yields in aromatic-ligand-protected Au25 NCs, indicating potential for enhanced photoluminescence properties.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Fang Sun, Qing Tang
Summary: Metal nanoclusters are a emerging class of atomically precise nanomaterials, where ligands play an important role in influencing their electrocatalytic performance. Future research should focus on exploring the underlying mechanisms of ligand effects on metal nanoclusters in more depth.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hiroo Suzuki, Yijun Liu, Masaaki Misawa, Chiyu Nakano, Yingzhe Wang, Ryo Nakano, Kentaro Ishimura, Kenji Tsuruta, Yasuhiko Hayashi
Summary: This study investigates the intermediate state and characteristic Raman modes of Janus MoSeS during plasma processing. The intermediate partially substituted Janus (PSJ) structure is revealed through atomic composition analysis and atomic scale structural observations. The discontinuous transitions in the photoluminescence spectrum cannot be explained by theoretical calculations. These findings contribute to the understanding of the formation process and electronic-state modulation of Janus TMDCs.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Stefan Knoppe, Alvaro Munoz-Castro
Summary: The study investigates the similarities between silver nanoclusters and gold nanoclusters, and finds gold-like behavior in silver analogues. The structural distortions mainly occur at the ligand-protected shell as the Ag/Au ratio increases in the Au25-xAgx(SH)18- clusters. The calculated optical spectrum shows the appearance of a plasmon-like peak in species with a doping ratio above 25%, where all the silver atoms are located within the M12 icosahedron.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Goonay Yousefalizadeh, Kevin G. Stamplecoskie
Summary: This study investigates the excited state dynamics of superatom clusters composed of gold, silver, or their alloys, showing significant differences despite similar structures. State-resolved excited state behavior of gold clusters is greatly influenced by metal composition, while silver analogs exhibit less pronounced effects, resulting in diversity in excited state energy, relaxation dynamics, and photophysical properties.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meng Han, Minghao Guo, Yapei Yun, Yujun Xu, Hongting Sheng, Yanxia Chen, Yuanxin Du, Kun Ni, Yanwu Zhu, Manzhou Zhu
Summary: This study successfully synthesized metal nanoclusters with improved NRR activity by introducing Ni element, regulating their intrinsic activity, and inducing charge reconstruction. The electrocatalysis process also resulted in exposed active sites for better NRR performance.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
S. Athira, Dibya Jyoti Mondal, Shraoshee Shome, Bijoy Dey, Sanjit Konar
Summary: The effect of intermolecular interactions and co-operativity between metal centers on the spin crossover (SCO) of two new Fe(II)-based dinuclear triple helicates has been investigated. It has been found that the complexes exhibit either multistep or abrupt spin transition depending on the conditions, and the presence of anions enhances the cooperativity.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ziqiang Sun, Cheng Liu, Hongchao Yang, Xiaohu Yang, Yejun Zhang, Hongzhen Lin, Youyong Li, Qiangbin Wang
Summary: The surface ligands of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) play a significant role in their surface properties. In this study, the effect of ligand chain length on Ag2Se QDs was investigated, and it was found that the PL intensity increased with shorter ligand chains. AgAuSe QDs with high PL quantum yield were obtained through alloying, enabling ultrasensitive in vivo angiography imaging.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Chun-Han Lu, Yi-Ting Tsai, Tzong-Liang Tsai, Ting-Shan Chan, Xuejie Zhang, Chun Che Lin
Summary: In this study, a white phosphor-based near-infrared (NIR) lighting material with high internal quantum efficiency and wide spectral range was developed. By designing a NIR ceramic device, dental problems such as caries and tooth calcification can be effectively detected.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Subarna Maity, Sarita Kolay, Srijon Ghosh, Sikta Chakraborty, Dipankar Bain, Amitava Patra
Summary: This study investigates the influence of single atom doping on the excited state relaxation dynamics of metal nanoclusters and finds that the electron affinity of the central metal atom and the rigidity of the cluster's structural framework play a crucial role in the relaxation processes.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hao Xu, Yanhong Wang, Rusi Peng, Jingang Jiang, Kun Zhang, Peng Wu
Summary: In this study, hierarchically structured micro-mesoporous spheres were self-assembled in an oil-in-water microemulsion system, showing enhanced catalytic activity and lifetime in comparison to the parent Ti-MOR powder. The addition of aluminum sulfate played a crucial role in mediating the mesosilica species and zeolite crystals, resulting in tunable particle dimensions and changeable content of active component Ti-MOR.
CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN CHINESE UNIVERSITIES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Taiqun Yang, Jiafeng Zhou, Bingqian Shan, Lei Li, Chun Zhu, Chaoqun Ma, Hui Gao, Guoqing Chen, Kun Zhang, Peng Wu
Summary: Nontraditional intrinsic luminescence (NTIL) with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features has attracted attention due to their importance in understanding basic luminescence principles and potential applications. However, the modulation of nonconventional luminophores remains difficult due to limited understanding of their emission mechanisms. In this study, the emission color of nonconjugated poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PMVEMA) could be easily controlled from blue to red by adjusting the alkalinity during the hydrolysis process. The nontraditional photoluminescence with AIE property is attributed to the new formed p-band state resulting from strong overlapping of clustered O atoms through space interactions. The O atom clustering, dominated by hydrated hydroxide complexes in the entangled polymer chain, plays a crucial role in the AIE property of nonconjugated PMVEMA. These findings contribute to further experimental and theoretical studies and can aid in the molecular-level design of nontraditional chromophores for optoelectronics and other applications.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
En-Hui Yuan, Meng Li, Ming-Hui Yang, Xiaosheng Huang, Kun Zhang, Weiliang Han, Zhicheng Tang, Zhong-Wen Liu
Summary: Cu-Fe-ZSM-5 zeolites were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using metal chelates embedded into the ZSM-5 crystals. The resulting materials exhibited ultra-small size and high dispersion, and showed excellent catalytic performance, stability, and tolerance.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hao Tan, Huangmei Zhou, Yu Zhao, Xueli Wang, Xiaoxiao He, Jinquan Chen, Kun Zhang, Rodolphe Antoine, Sanjun Zhang, Yang Tian
Summary: This study reports the regulation of the structure and optical properties of silver-based nanoclusters through noncovalent interactions. The reversible conversion between orange emission and blue emission was achieved by manipulating these interactions.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
En-Hui Yuan, Meng Li, Jia-Feng Zhou, Yiming Niu, Yong-Hong Song, Kun Zhang, Ming-Hui Yang, Jinqiang Jiang, Bingsen Zhang, Feng-Shou Xiao, Zhao-Tie Liu, Zhong-Wen Liu
Summary: Hetematoms substituted zeolites (HSZ) are important absorbents/catalysts in industrial processes. This study found that poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDDA) can greatly accelerate HSZ crystallization and create mesopores simultaneously.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Liu -Xi Zheng, Bo Peng, Jia-Feng Zhou, Bing-Qian Shan, Qing-Song Xue, Kun Zhang
Summary: Thiol-modified dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres supported Au NPs catalysts exhibit excellent oxidation reaction performance and ultra-long lifetime, which is attributed to the adsorption and packing of thiol groups on the surface of Au NPs constructing a unique nanoconfined microenvironment.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bo Peng, Jia-Feng Zhou, Hui Chen, Meng Ding, Yi-Song Zhu, Belen Albela, Peng Wu, Laurent Bonneviot, Kun Zhang
Summary: The study reveals that mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are formed at the interface of the biphasic water-surfactant-triethanolamine-tetraalkoxysilane (TAOS) quaternary system. The hydrophobic TAOS undergoes spontaneous microemulsification to generate microdroplets and direct micelles, which determine the size of the particles and pores. The dendritic morphology with conical pores is identified as an intermediate species that transforms into regular MSNs as the microemulsion collapses due to continuous consumption of TAOS. The significant impact of microemulsion on the growth mechanism is thoroughly investigated and termed tetraalkoxysilane-assisted self-emulsification templating.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuchi Cheng, Huangmei Zhou, Jinming Xu, Yu Zhao, Xihang Chen, Rodolphe Antoine, Meng Ding, Kun Zhang, Sanjun Zhang
Summary: A two-photon excited ratiometric fluorescent pH sensor was developed by combining L-cysteine-protected AuNCs (Cys@AuNCs) with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The sensor showed a large dynamic range for pH measurement and had potential for sensitive quantitation of pH in living cells under two-photon excitation. In addition, the synthesized Cys@AuNCs exhibited excellent photoactivated peroxidase-like activity, promising for rapid colorimetric biosensing and control of catalytic reactions by photostimulation.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bo Peng, Jia-Feng Zhou, Meng Ding, Bing-Qian Shan, Tong Chen, Kun Zhang
Summary: In the past several decades, noble metal nanoclusters (NMNCs) have gained development as an emerging class of luminescent materials due to their superior photo-stability and biocompatibility. However, their luminous quantum yield is relatively low and the physical origin of the bright photoluminescence (PL) of NMNCs remains unclear, limiting their practical application. This mini-review comprehensively introduced the effect of each component (metal core, ligand shell, and interfacial water) on the PL properties of NMNCs and proposed a model in which structural water molecules dominate the p-band intermediate state to give a unified understanding on the PL mechanism of NMNCs and future developments.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mingyuan He, Kun Zhang, Yejun Guan, Yuhan Sun, Buxing Han
Summary: Carbon energy has played a significant role in human civilization and is considered as one of the fundamental laws governing the universe. The opposition and unity of oxidation and reduction are the core concepts in the carbon energy system. Ancient Chinese philosophy aids in comprehending the essence of green carbon science, exploring its scientific basis, and identifying relevant technological platforms. Carbon and carbon dioxide are essential for life, with balance and recycling being key factors. The essence of carbon energy system and carbon neutrality lies in the opposition and unity of oxidation and reduction.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Taiqun Yang, Jiafeng Zhou, Bingqian Shan, Bo Peng, Lei Li, Hui Gao, Guoqing Chen, Kun Zhang
Summary: The controversy over the emission center of metal nanoclusters has been ongoing. In this study, gold nanoclusters with multiple emission peaks were synthesized using aggregation-induced emission and a ligand-exchange strategy. The photoluminescence is independent of the excitation wavelength and is from supramolecular clusters formed by the assembly of functional groups on the nanoconfined surface of an individual gold nanocluster.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Meng Ding, Bo Peng, Jia-Feng Zhou, Hui Chen, Yi-Song Zhu, En-Hui Yuan, Belen Albela, Laurent Bonneviot, Peng Wu, Kun Zhang
Summary: The catalytic nature of active sites on the molecule level in confined nanospaces and/or at confined nanoscale interfaces is explored using the catalytic hydride reduction of 4-nitrophenol. It is found that structural water adsorbed on gold nanoparticles is the true catalytic active site, and the presence of lithium chloride enhances the catalytic performance.
CATALYSIS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pan-Yue Wang, Jia-Feng Zhou, Hui Chen, Bo Peng, Kun Zhang
Summary: The study found that the relative content of surface hydroxyl and water on Co active sites in carbon frameworks rather than the type of nitrogen significantly affects the kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction. Under high-pH conditions, the Co/NC catalyst showed the best reaction performance when the ratio of OH-/H2O was close to 1:1.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wenqian Li, Minghuang Qiu, Wanting Li, Lixia Ge, Kun Zhang, Xinqing Chen
Summary: A facile method for synthesizing high-quality TS-1 zeolite without anatase Ti species has been reported using urea as a mineralizer. By optimizing the coordination environment of Ti species, the catalytic activity was significantly enhanced, offering new prospects for defect-free TS-1 zeolites and their potential applications in selective oxidation reactions.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY & FUELS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Meng Ding, Bing-Qian Shan, Bo Peng, Jia-Feng Zhou, Kun Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the catalytic transformation of 4-nitrophenol using Pt-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles. The results show that the transformation does not occur through direct hydrogen transfer, but rather through a bimolecular L-H mechanism with the help of borohydride. Characterization methods further demonstrate the role of cationic Pt species in the catalytic process.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
