Issue 42, 2022

Fabricating sub-nanometer materials through cluster assembly

Abstract

The self-assembly of clusters provides a feasible approach for the bottom-up fabrication of functional materials with tailored properties. Sub-nanometer cluster assembly with a well-defined construction presents a precisely controllable structure and extraordinary properties, which provides an ideal model for the investigation of structures and properties at the molecular level. Non-covalent interactions between clusters may dominate the assembly behavior, appearing as tunable structures different from their nano-counterparts. Interactions between clusters and their superatom orbitals can significantly influence the electronic structures, because of which exceptional properties may emerge. In this paper, recent progress on cluster-based assemblies is introduced, including sub-nanometer building blocks of noble metal and polyoxometalate (POM) clusters. The structures, formation mechanism and properties of these cluster assemblies are discussed from experimental and theoretical aspects. This perspective aims to provide a new insight into the design and manufacture of sub-nanometer materials based on clusters.

Graphical abstract: Fabricating sub-nanometer materials through cluster assembly

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
08 Jul 2022
Accepted
25 Sep 2022
First published
26 Sep 2022
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 12280-12289

Fabricating sub-nanometer materials through cluster assembly

Q. Liu and X. Wang, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 12280 DOI: 10.1039/D2SC03813G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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