Snapshots of key intermediates unveiling the growth from silver ions to Ag₇₀ nanoclusters.

ABSTRACT: Nanoclusters (NCs) are considered as initial states of condensed matter, and unveiling their formation mechanism is of great importance for directional synthesis of nanomaterials. Here, we initiate the reaction of Ag(i) ions under weak reducing conditions. The prolonged reaction period provides a unique opportunity for revealing the five stages of the growth mechanism of 20-electron superatomic Ag₇₀ NCs by a time-dependent mass technique, that is, aggregate (I) → reduction (II) → decomposition and recombination (III) → fusion (IV) → surface recombination and motif enrichment (V), which is different from the formation process applicable to the gold clusters. More importantly, the key intermediates, Ag₁₄ without free electrons (0e) in the first (stage I) and Ag_24</

SUBMITTER: Luo XM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9516886 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature