Isolation of silvery fullerene in flying saucer shaped Ag102 nanocluster
image: Top and side views of the structure dissection of Ag102 skeleton. (a, b) The innermost icosahedron Ag12 (lilac); (c, d) the dodecahedron Ag20 (golden) trapping inner icosahedron Ag12; (e, f) the (KPO4)10 anion shell embracing Ag12@Ag20 kernel (cyan, K; red, O; orange, P); (g, h) the Ag70 shell (wathet) encaging inner Ag12@Ag20@(KPO4)10.
Credit: ©Science China Press
This study is led by Prof. Sun (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University), and the research team report the successful isolation of a 102-nuclei silver nanosaucer with a silvery fullerene through a DMF-thermal reaction. This Ag32, consisting of a hollow Ag12 icosahedral cage nested in an Ag20 dodecahedron, is passivated by a robust (KPO4)10 cyclic anion layer and then encapsulated in a conched-shaped Ag70 shell.
DMF, as the bifunctional solvent, can be used as a reducing agent to participate in the reduction and aggregation of silver ions on the one hand, and as a reaction medium to promote the formation of silver nanoclusters on the other hand. In DMF thermal reaction, Ag32 is the largest kernel to be captured utilizing the anionic passivation layer to date, “To the best of our knowledge, the silvery fullerene of Ag32 captured in Ag102 is the largest subvalent silver kernel with DMF as the mild reducing agent.” Prof. Sun says.
The Ih symmetry of the silvery fullerene, combined with the regioselective arrangement of the cyclic anionic passivation layer (KPO4)10, Ag ions in the outer Ag70 shell and peripheral ligands, endows the entire Ag102 with D5d symmetry. Due to the oxygenphilic nature of alkali metal ion (K+), PO43− is attached through K–O bonding, forming the cyclic anionic layer of (KPO4)10, which plays a crucial role in capturing the silvery fullerene.
Based on the excellent photothermal conversion performance of Ag102 from the visible to near-infrared region, researchers successfully conducted the remote ignition experiment, further expanding its potential as a photoresponsive material for remote ignition applications. This work represents the first characterization of silvery fullerene using the anion passivation strategy, paving the way for capturing more silvery fullerenes.
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Silvery fullerene in Ag102 nanosaucer