Issue 29, 2024

Doping-mediated excited state dynamics of diphosphine-protected M@Au12 (M = Au, Ir) superatom nanoclusters

Abstract

Doping heterometal atoms into ligand-protected gold superatom nanoclusters (Aun NCs) is proposed to further diversify their geometrical and electronic structures and enhance their photoluminescence properties, which is attributed to the mixing and effects between atoms. However, the fundamental principles that govern the optoelectronic properties of the doped Aun NCs remain elusive. Herein, we systematically explored two prototypical 8-electron Aun (n = 11 and 13) NCs with and without Ir dopant atoms using comprehensive ab initio calculations and real-time nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. These doped Aun NCs maintain their parent geometrical structures and 8-electron superatomic configuration (1S21P6). Strong core–shell (Ir–Aun) electronic coupling significantly expands the energy gap, resulting in a weak nonadiabatic coupling matrix element, which in turn increases the carrier lifetime. This increase is mainly governed by the low-frequency vibration mode. We uncovered the relationship between electronic structures, electron–vibration, and carrier dynamics for these doped Aun NCs. These calculated results provide crucial insights for the atomically precise design of metal NCs with superior optoelectronic properties.

Graphical abstract: Doping-mediated excited state dynamics of diphosphine-protected M@Au12 (M = Au, Ir) superatom nanoclusters

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 May 2024
Accepted
29 Jun 2024
First published
01 Jul 2024

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 14081-14088

Doping-mediated excited state dynamics of diphosphine-protected M@Au12 (M = Au, Ir) superatom nanoclusters

W. Pei, L. Hou, J. Yang, S. Zhou and J. Zhao, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 14081 DOI: 10.1039/D4NR02051K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements