We report the fabrication of homoleptic alkynylprotected Ag 15 (CC-t Bu) 12 + (abbreviated as Ag 15 )nanocluster and its electrocatalytic properties towardC O 2 reduction reaction. Crystal structure analysis reveals that Ag 15 possesses abody-centered-cubic (BCC) structure with an Ag@Ag 8 @Ag 6 metal core configuration. Interestingly,wefound that Ag 15 can adsorb CO 2 in the air and spontaneously self-assembled into one-dimensional linear material during the crystal growth process.F urthermore,A g 15 can convert CO 2 into CO with af aradaic efficiency of ca. 95.0 %a tÀ0.6 Va nd am aximal turnover frequency of 6.37 s À1 at À1.1 Valong with excellent long-term stability.F inally,d ensity functional theory (DFT) calculations disclosed that Ag 15 (CC-t Bu) 11+ with one alkynyl ligand stripping off from the intact cluster can expose the uncoordinated Ag atom as the catalytically active site for CO formation.

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We report the first homoleptic alkynyl-protected AgCu superatomic nanocluster of [Ag9Cu6(tBuC≡C)12]+ (NC 1, also Ag9Cu6 in short), which holds a body-centered-cubic structure with the Ag1@Ag8@Cu6 metal core. Such configuration is...

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Noble metal (e.g., Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, and their alloys) nanoclusters (NCs) have emerged as a new type of functional nanomaterial in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Owing to their unique properties, such as their ultrasmall dimension, enhanced photoluminescence, low toxicity, and excellent biocompatibility, noble metal NCs—especially Au and Ag NCs—have found various applications in biomedical regimes. This review summarizes the recent advances made in employing ultrasmall Au and Ag NCs for biomedical applications, with particular emphasis on bioimaging and biosensing, anti-microbial applications, and tumor targeting and cancer treatment. Challenges, including the shared and specific challenges for Au and Ag NC toward biomedical applications, and future directions are briefly discussed at the end.

Electrochemically converting NO 3 − compounds into ammonia represents a sustainable route to remove industrial pollutants in wastewater and produce valuable chemicals. Bimetallic nanomaterials usually exhibit better catalytic performance than the monometallic counterparts, yet unveiling the reaction mechanism is extremely challenging. Herein, we report an atomically precise [Ag 30 Pd 4 (C 6 H 9 ) 26 ](BPh 4 ) 2 (Ag 30 Pd 4 ) nanocluster as a model catalyst toward the electrochemical NO 3 − reduction reaction (eNO 3 − RR) to elucidate the different role of the Ag and Pd site and unveil the comprehensive catalytic mechanism. Ag 30 Pd 4 is the homoleptic alkynyl-protected superatom with 2 free electrons, and it has a Ag 30 Pd 4 metal core where 4 Pd atoms are located at the subcenter of the metal core. Furthermore, Ag 30 Pd 4 exhibits excellent performance toward eNO 3 − RR and robust stability for prolonged operation, and it can achieve the highest Faradaic efficiency of NH 3 over 90%. In situ Fourier-transform infrared study revealed that a Ag site plays a more critical role in converting NO 3 − into NO 2 − , while the Pd site makes a major contribution to catalyze NO 2 − into NH 3 . The bimetallic nanocluster adopts a tandem catalytic mechanism rather than a synergistic catalytic effect in eNO 3 − RR. Such finding was further confirmed by density functional theory calculations, as they disclosed that Ag is the most preferable binding site for NO 3 − , which then binds a water molecule to release NO 2 − . Subsequently, NO 2 − can transfer to the vicinal exposed Pd site to promote NH 3 formation.

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