Self-Assembly of Silver Clusters into One- and Two-Dimensional Structures and Highly Selective Methanol Sensing

The development of new materials for the design of sensitive and responsive sensors has become a crucial research direction. Here, two silver cluster-based polymers (Ag-CBPs), including one-dimensional {[Ag₂₂(L1)₈(CF₃CO₂)₁₄](CH₃OH)₂} chain and two-dimensional {[Ag₁₂(L2)₂(CO₂CF₃)₁₄(H₂O)₄(AgCO₂CF₃)₄](HNEt₃)₂} film, are designed and used to simulate the human nose, an elegant sensor to smells, to distinguish organic solvents. We study the relationship between the atomic structures of Ag-CBPs determined by x-ray diffraction and the electrical properties in the presence of organic solvents (e.g., methanol and ethanol). The ligands, cations, and the ligated solvent molecules not only play an important role in the self-assembly process of Ag-CBP materials but also determine their physiochemical properties such as the sensing functionality.