A unified view of ligand-protected gold clusters as superatom complexes

Synthesis, characterization, and functionalization of self-assembled, ligand-stabilized gold nanoparticles are long-standing issues in the chemistry of nanomaterials. Factors driving the thermodynamic stability of well documented discrete sizes are largely unknown. Herein, we provide a unified view of principles that underlie the stability of particles protected by thiolate (SR) or phosphine and halide (PR(3), X) ligands. The picture has emerged from analysis of large-scale density functional theory calculations of structurally characterized compounds, namely Au(102)(SR)(44), Au(39)(PR(3))(14)X(6)(-), Au(11)(PR(3))(7)X(3), and Au(13)(PR(3))(10)X(2)(3+), where X is either a halogen or a thiolate. Attributable…