Sub-angstrom bond length tuning enhances photoluminescence quantum yield in copper nanoclusters.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how atomic-scale structure dictates light emission in metal nanoclusters is central to designing efficient luminophores. Despite decades of intensive investigation into their photoluminescence, a clear quantitative link between metal-metal bonding and emission efficiency is still lacking. Here we show that quantitatively modulating Cu-Cu bond distances during crystallization of Cu₆(SR)₆ nanoclusters enables a direct correlation between structure and emission performance. By synthesizing a series of Cu₆(SR)₆ nanoclusters with quantitatively modulated Cu-Cu bond lengths, we reveal an exponential relationship between bond distance and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), and a linear correlation with emission energy. Density functio

SUBMITTER: Tang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12663103 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature