Assembly of Au Nanoclusters Based Functional Structures and Practical Applications

Abstract

The advancement of gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) gives rise to a new era in fabricating functional materials due to their controllable morphology, stable optical properties, and excellent biocompatibility. Based on Au NCs, the assembled works demonstrate significant potentiality in constructing multiple structures as acceptable agents in the applications such as sensing application, imaging technology, and drug delivery system. In addition, the assembled strategies illustrate the integration mechanism between each component while facing material requirement. It is necessary to innovate supplementary and comprehensive reviews on the assembled functional structures (based Au NCs), which hold promise for applications, and could expand their functional range and potential applications. This review focuses on the assembled structures of Au NCs in combination with metals, metal oxides, and non-metal materials, which are intricately arranged through various interaction forces, including covalent bonds and metal coordination, resulting in a diverse array of multifunctional Au NCs assemblies. These assemblies have widespread applications in fields such as biological imaging, drug delivery, and optical devices. The review concludes by highlighting the challenges and future prospectives of Au NCs assemblies, emphasizing the importance of continued research to advance nanomaterial assembly innovation.