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Understanding ligand-protected noble metal nanoclusters at work

Nature Reviews Materials volume 8, pages 372–389 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Ligand-protected noble metal nanoclusters, commonly termed ‘monolayer-protected metal clusters’ (MPCs), comprise a common set of structures with an inorganic core stabilized by an organic layer of ligand molecules. The choice of the metals in the inorganic core defines the clusters’ physical properties, such as the electronic, optical and magnetic properties, whereas the organic ligand shell defines their solubility and functionality with the surrounding environment. MPCs are currently provoking widespread interest as tunable nanomaterials because they can be engineered, in principle, with atomic precision. In this Review, we discuss the unique features of MPCs that make them ideal nanomaterials for applications in different fields, including catalysis and biological applications such as bioimaging, sensing and targeted drug delivery. We emphasize how understanding these atomically precise nanomaterials requires a tight connection between computational modelling and experimental characterization, which opens unique possibilities for iterative functionalization and tuning for applications.

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Fig. 1: Timeline of some key milestones in the field of atomically precise metal nanoclusters.
Fig. 2: Feedback loop between computational and experimental studies enabled by atomically precise metal nanoclusters.
Fig. 3: Schematic representation of the layered structure of atomically precise metal nanoclusters.
Fig. 4: Main strategies to enhance the catalytic properties of atomically precise metal nanoclusters.
Fig. 5: Atomically precise metal nanoclusters for bioimaging and biosensing.
Fig. 6: Atomically precise metal nanoclusters for targeted drug delivery.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the Academy of Finland (grants 318905 and 319208, and H.H.’s Academy Professorship).

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  1. Department of Physics, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    María Francisca Matus & Hannu Häkkinen

  2. Department of Chemistry, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Hannu Häkkinen

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Matus, M.F., Häkkinen, H. Understanding ligand-protected noble metal nanoclusters at work. Nat Rev Mater 8, 372–389 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-023-00537-1

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