Photochemical Route for Synthesizing Atomically Precise Metal Nanoclusters from Disulfide

Practical approaches to the synthesisof atomically precise metalnanoclusters are in high demand as they provide the structural basisfor investigating nanomaterials' structure-propertycorrelations with atomic precision. The Brust-Schiffrin methodhas been widely used, while the essential reductive ligands (e.g.,thiols) limit the application of this method for synthesizing metalnanoclusters with specific frameworks and surface ligands. In thiswork, we developed a photochemical route for synthesizing atomicallyprecise metal nanoclusters by applying disulfide, which is a widelyavailable, stable, and environmentally friendly sulfur source. Thismethod enables the construction of structurally diverse metal nanoclustersand especially features the synthesis of PhS-protected metal nanoclustersthat were not easily achieved previously and the gram-scale synthesis.A reduction-oxidation cascade mechanism has been revealed forthe photochemical route. This work is expected to open up new opportunitiesfor metal nanocluster synthesis and will contribute to the practicalapplications of this kind of nanomaterial.