Tandem Silver Cluster Isomerism and Mixed Linkers to Modulate the Photoluminescence of Cluster-Assembled Materials

Abstract

Silver chalcogenolate cluster assembled materials (SCAMs) are a category of promising light-emitting materials the luminescence of which can be modulated by variation of their building blocks (cluster nodes and organic linkers). The transformation of a singly emissive [Ag12(SBut)8(CF3COO)4(bpy)4]n (Ag12bpy, bpy=4,4′-bipyridine) into a dual-emissive [(Ag12(SBut)6(CF3COO)6(bpy)3)]n (Ag12bpy-2) via cluster-node isomerization, the critical importance of which was highlighted in dictating the photoluminescence properties of SCAMs. Moreover, the newly obtained Ag12bpy-2 served to construct visual thermochromic Ag12bpy-2/NH2 by a mixed-linker synthesis, together with dichromatic core–shell Ag12bpy-2@Ag12bpy-NH2-2 via solvent-assisted linker exchange. This work provides insight into the significance of metal arrangement on physical properties of nanoclusters.