{"title":"Recent progress in atomically precise metal nanoclusters: From bio-related properties to biological applications","authors":"Lizhong He , Tingting Dong , De-en Jiang , Qichun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ccr.2025.216633","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Atomically precise noble metal nanoclusters (e.g. gold and silver nanoclusters), consisting of a few to a hundred atoms, have emerged as promising materials in the field of nanoscience and life science. They have attracted significant interest owing to their discrete energy levels, intriguing molecular-like behaviors, and unique bio-related properties such as controllable optical absorption, adjustable photoluminescence, circularly polarized luminescence and clusterzyme activity, which can be tailored through tuning the size, composition distribution and types of the capping agents. These valuable bio-related properties of noble metal nanoclusters with defined structures have ensured them to become an emerging and promising class of artificial theranostic agents in biological applications, including bioimaging, modern antibacterial agents, drug delivery systems and cancer therapy. This review comprehensively and systematically summarizes recent advances in the bio-application of gold and silver nanoclusters for fluorescent bioimaging, antibacterial agents, drug delivery and cancer therapy, highlighting the key factors or efficient strategies to tailor these bio-related properties. Moreover, the current challenges and the future development directions of noble metal nanoclusters are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":289,"journal":{"name":"Coordination Chemistry Reviews","volume":"535 ","pages":"Article 216633"},"PeriodicalIF":20.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Coordination Chemistry Reviews","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010854525002036","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, INORGANIC & NUCLEAR","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Atomically precise noble metal nanoclusters (e.g. gold and silver nanoclusters), consisting of a few to a hundred atoms, have emerged as promising materials in the field of nanoscience and life science. They have attracted significant interest owing to their discrete energy levels, intriguing molecular-like behaviors, and unique bio-related properties such as controllable optical absorption, adjustable photoluminescence, circularly polarized luminescence and clusterzyme activity, which can be tailored through tuning the size, composition distribution and types of the capping agents. These valuable bio-related properties of noble metal nanoclusters with defined structures have ensured them to become an emerging and promising class of artificial theranostic agents in biological applications, including bioimaging, modern antibacterial agents, drug delivery systems and cancer therapy. This review comprehensively and systematically summarizes recent advances in the bio-application of gold and silver nanoclusters for fluorescent bioimaging, antibacterial agents, drug delivery and cancer therapy, highlighting the key factors or efficient strategies to tailor these bio-related properties. Moreover, the current challenges and the future development directions of noble metal nanoclusters are also discussed.
期刊介绍:
Coordination Chemistry Reviews offers rapid publication of review articles on current and significant topics in coordination chemistry, encompassing organometallic, supramolecular, theoretical, and bioinorganic chemistry. It also covers catalysis, materials chemistry, and metal-organic frameworks from a coordination chemistry perspective. Reviews summarize recent developments or discuss specific techniques, welcoming contributions from both established and emerging researchers.
The journal releases special issues on timely subjects, including those featuring contributions from specific regions or conferences. Occasional full-length book articles are also featured. Additionally, special volumes cover annual reviews of main group chemistry, transition metal group chemistry, and organometallic chemistry. These comprehensive reviews are vital resources for those engaged in coordination chemistry, further establishing Coordination Chemistry Reviews as a hub for insightful surveys in inorganic and physical inorganic chemistry.