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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 2026

Fabrication of Periodic Gold Nanocup Arrays Using Colloidal Lithography
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Published on: September 2, 2017

Atomically precise gold nanocrystal molecules with surface plasmon resonance.

Huifeng Qian1, Yan Zhu, Rongchao Jin

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|January 5, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Researchers created the first atomically precise gold nanocrystal molecules, Au(333)(SR)(79), exhibiting unique stability due to atomic shell closing, opening new avenues in nanomaterial science.

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Area of Science:

  • Nanomaterials Science
  • Atomic Physics
  • Surface Chemistry

Background:

  • Despite extensive research on gold nanoparticles since Faraday, achieving atomically precise gold nanocrystals has remained a challenge.
  • Existing methods have not yielded gold nanocrystals with exact atomic composition and structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the first synthesis and characterization of atomically precise gold nanocrystal molecules.
  • To investigate the factors contributing to the stability of these novel nanomaterials.
  • To explore the potential applications in condensed matter physics, nanochemistry, and catalysis.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of gold nanocrystal molecules.
  • Mass spectrometry for precise formula determination (Au(333)(SR)(79)).

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Synthesis, Characterization, and Functionalization of Hybrid Au/CdS and Au/ZnS Core/Shell Nanoparticles
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  • Crystallographic analysis and surface plasmon resonance measurements.
  • Computational simulations to understand stability mechanisms (atomic shell closing).
  • Size-focusing selection to identify other stable sizes (e.g., Au(~530)(SR)(~100)).

    • Main Results:

    • The first example of atomically precise gold nanocrystal molecules, Au(333)(SR)(79), was successfully synthesized.
    • These nanomolecules exhibit face-centered cubic (fcc) crystallinity and surface plasmon resonance around 520 nm.
    • Atomic shell closing was identified as a key factor for the exceptional stability of Au(333)(SR)(79).
    • Electron shell closing, consistent with a confined free electron model, also correlates with stability.
    • A larger, exceptionally stable gold nanocrystal molecule, Au(~530)(SR)(~100), was identified using size-focusing selection.

    Conclusions:

    • Atomically precise nanocrystal molecules are achievable, challenging previous limitations in gold nanoparticle research.
    • Atomic shell closing is a critical factor in the extraordinary stability of these gold nanomolecules.
    • This breakthrough provides a platform for fundamental studies on the metallic state and has implications for condensed matter physics, nanochemistry, and catalysis.