A double helical 4H assembly pattern with secondary hierarchical complexity in an Ag70 nanocluster crystal

Tao Chen; Sha Yang; Qinzhen Li; Yongbo Song; Guang Li; Jinsong Chai; Manzhou Zhu

doi:10.1039/D1NH00332A

A double helical 4H assembly pattern with secondary hierarchical complexity in an Ag₇₀ nanocluster crystal†

Tao Chen,^a Sha Yang,^b Qinzhen Li,^a Yongbo Song,^c Guang Li,

*^a Jinsong Chai*^c and Manzhou Zhu

*^bc

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Physics and Materials Science, Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui Key Laboratory of Information Materials and Devices, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
E-mail: liguang1971@ahu.edu.cn

^b Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
E-mail: zmz@ahu.edu.cn

^c Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
E-mail: chaijs@ahu.edu.cn

Abstract

The hierarchical assemblies of well-defined structural nanoclusters can help to better understand those of biologically important molecules such as DNA and proteins. Herein, we disclose the synthesis and characterization of a new silver nanocluster, that is Ag₇₀(SR)₄₂(PPh₃)₅ (Ag₇₀-TPP). Directed by the ligands, Ag₇₀-TPP nanoclusters undergo self-hierarchical assembly into a highly space-efficient complex secondary structure of a double helical 4H (DH4H) close packing pattern. The chirality of Ag₇₀-TPP, and the van der Waals forces interactions between the ligands are believed to drive its DH4H arrangement, and the observed interlocking of the phosphine ligands of adjacent Ag₇₀-TPP nanoclusters also contributed. Overall, this work has yielded important and unprecedented insights into the internal structure and crystallographic arrangement of nanoclusters.

This article is part of the themed collection: Nanoscale Horizons 2022 Lunar New Year Collection

Supplementary files

Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D1NH00332A
Article type: Communication
Submitted: 21 Jūn. 2021
Accepted: 19 Aug. 2021
First published: 20 Aug. 2021

Download Citation

Nanoscale Horiz., 2021,6, 913-917

Permissions

Request permissions

A double helical 4H assembly pattern with secondary hierarchical complexity in an Ag₇₀ nanocluster crystal

T. Chen, S. Yang, Q. Li, Y. Song, G. Li, J. Chai and M. Zhu, Nanoscale Horiz., 2021, 6, 913 DOI: 10.1039/D1NH00332A

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.

Nanoscale Horizons