Effect of chiral camphor thiolate ligands on the structure and stability of Au19 nanoclusters

Abstract

Based on the well-defined atomic structure, chiral clusters are represented to describe the origin of nanomaterial-like chirality laying the foundation for the application of chiral materials. However, their chiral application is limited due to chiral phosphines, amines, and carboxylic acids protected clusters with weak chiral stability, and the thiols protected clusters are stable but the types of chiral thiols are few along with high price. In this study, the chiral camphor thiols are designed and prepared from natural products. Based on this novel chiral thiol ligand, a pair of novel R/S-Au19(SR)13DPPM chiral clusters are obtained. Structural anatomies show that their chiral origin is diverse and the core distortion is more significant compared to their counterparts. Subsequent stability tests show that both of them are stable in the thermal, alkaline, and reducing environment, which is a solid foundation for their application in the corresponding environment. Importantly, the chiral thiol ligands designed in this study could provide new opportunities for the preparation of stable chiral nanoclusters and their applications.