Ag₂ Au₅₀ (PET)₃₆ Nanocluster: Dimeric Assembly of Au₂₅ (PET)₁₈ Enabled by Silver Atoms

The assembly of atomically precise metal nanoclusters offers exciting opportunities to gain fundamental insights into the hierarchical assembly of nanoparticles. However, it is still challenging to control the assembly of individual nanoclusters at a molecular or atomic level. Herein, we report the dimeric assembly of Au₂₅ (PET)₁₈ (PET=2-phenylethanethiol), where two Au₂₅ (PET)₁₈ monomers are bridged together by two Ag atoms to form the Ag₂ Au₅₀ (PET)₃₆ dimer. The Ag₂ Au₅₀ (PET)₃₆ dimer is a unique mesomer, which has not been found in any other chiral metal nanoclusters. Furthermore, the Ag₂ Au₅₀ (PET)₃₆ dimer is distinct from the Au₂₅ (PET)₁₈ monomer in its optical, electronic, and catalytic properties. This study is expected to provide a feasible strategy to precisely modulate the assembly of metal nanoclusters with controllable structures and properties.