Heterogeneous metal alloy engineering: embryonic growth of M13 icosahedra in Ag-based alloy superatomic nanoclusters†
Abstract
Alloying is an effective tool to comprehend the packing mechanism and adjust the properties of nanomaterials. Herein, two crystal structures of alloy nanoclusters with M13 icosahedron cores, formulated as [Pt2Ag51(S-Adm)28(PPh3)2Cl7](SbF6)2 and [Au3Ag48(S-Adm)28Cl7](SbF6)2, are determined. The preferable site(s) of alloy metals in M13 induces various packing patterns of M13. The Pt2Ag21 and Au3Ag22 kernels are observed in Pt2Ag51 and Au3Ag48, respectively. The electronic structures of these two nanoclusters are evaluated. Overall, this work presents the effect of alloying on the packing patterns of M13 and electronic structures of the metal nanoclusters.