Isomeric effects in rod-shaped Au20 clusters: a comparative study on near-infrared photothermal enhancement

Minjian Wu; Lin Qin; Linhua Wang; Zihao Jiang; Penghao Bai; Liao Yuan Yao; Guo Yu Yang

doi:10.1039/d5mh01815c

Isomeric effects in rod-shaped Au₂₀ clusters: a comparative study on near-infrared photothermal enhancement

Minjian Wu
, Lin Qin^*
, Linhua Wang
, Zihao Jiang
, Penghao Bai
, Liao Yuan Yao^*
, Guo Yu Yang^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Beijing Institute of Technology
Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

In this work, we report two rod-shaped Au₂₀ clusters with distinct core configurations and 14 free electrons, offering an important atomically precise model to probe structure–property relationships. A key finding is that ligand-tuned shortening of Au–Au bonds and a slight structure distortion within the cluster core decisively enhance photothermal conversion efficiency and tune NIR-II emission. The most compact Au₂₀ architecture achieves a photothermal conversion efficiency of 25% and extends emission into the NIR-II window at 1190 nm. These results establish bond-length engineering as a powerful and generalizable design principle for tuning the functional properties of atomically precise metal nanoclusters, opening new avenues for the development of high-performance photothermal and luminescent materials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3035-3043
Number of pages	9
Journal	Materials Horizons
Volume	13
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh01815c
Publication status	Published - 23 Mar 2026

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title = "Isomeric effects in rod-shaped Au20 clusters: a comparative study on near-infrared photothermal enhancement",

abstract = "In this work, we report two rod-shaped Au20 clusters with distinct core configurations and 14 free electrons, offering an important atomically precise model to probe structure{\textendash}property relationships. A key finding is that ligand-tuned shortening of Au{\textendash}Au bonds and a slight structure distortion within the cluster core decisively enhance photothermal conversion efficiency and tune NIR-II emission. The most compact Au20 architecture achieves a photothermal conversion efficiency of 25\% and extends emission into the NIR-II window at 1190 nm. These results establish bond-length engineering as a powerful and generalizable design principle for tuning the functional properties of atomically precise metal nanoclusters, opening new avenues for the development of high-performance photothermal and luminescent materials.",

author = "Minjian Wu and Lin Qin and Linhua Wang and Zihao Jiang and Penghao Bai and Yao, \{Liao Yuan\} and Yang, \{Guo Yu\}",

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T1 - Isomeric effects in rod-shaped Au20 clusters

T2 - a comparative study on near-infrared photothermal enhancement

AU - Wu, Minjian

AU - Qin, Lin

AU - Wang, Linhua

AU - Jiang, Zihao

AU - Bai, Penghao

AU - Yao, Liao Yuan

AU - Yang, Guo Yu

PY - 2026/3/23

Y1 - 2026/3/23

N2 - In this work, we report two rod-shaped Au20 clusters with distinct core configurations and 14 free electrons, offering an important atomically precise model to probe structure–property relationships. A key finding is that ligand-tuned shortening of Au–Au bonds and a slight structure distortion within the cluster core decisively enhance photothermal conversion efficiency and tune NIR-II emission. The most compact Au20 architecture achieves a photothermal conversion efficiency of 25% and extends emission into the NIR-II window at 1190 nm. These results establish bond-length engineering as a powerful and generalizable design principle for tuning the functional properties of atomically precise metal nanoclusters, opening new avenues for the development of high-performance photothermal and luminescent materials.

AB - In this work, we report two rod-shaped Au20 clusters with distinct core configurations and 14 free electrons, offering an important atomically precise model to probe structure–property relationships. A key finding is that ligand-tuned shortening of Au–Au bonds and a slight structure distortion within the cluster core decisively enhance photothermal conversion efficiency and tune NIR-II emission. The most compact Au20 architecture achieves a photothermal conversion efficiency of 25% and extends emission into the NIR-II window at 1190 nm. These results establish bond-length engineering as a powerful and generalizable design principle for tuning the functional properties of atomically precise metal nanoclusters, opening new avenues for the development of high-performance photothermal and luminescent materials.

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DO - 10.1039/d5mh01815c

M3 - Article

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SN - 2051-6347

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EP - 3043

JO - Materials Horizons

JF - Materials Horizons

IS - 6

ER -

Isomeric effects in rod-shaped Au₂₀ clusters: a comparative study on near-infrared photothermal enhancement

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