Fast and high-yield synthesis of thiolate Ag44 and Au12Ag32 nanoclusters via CTAB reverse micelle method

To advance the development of atomically precise Ag and Ag-alloyed nanoclusters, it is critical to develop effective synthetic methods. Herein, we successfully extend the CTAB (Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide) reverse micelle method to synthesize high-purity Ag44(p-MBA)30 (p-MBA= para-Mercaptobenzoic acid) nanocluster and its corresponding alloy cluster of Au12Ag32(p-MBA)30 in a short time (15 mins and 5 mins), with a high yield of ~83% and ~85%, respectively. Furthermore, the mechanism regarding the reverse micelle method has been clearly elucidated. Through characterizing the reaction system by Raman spectroscopy and NMR technique, it can be revealed that, employing CTAB to form reverse micelles to construct sealed chemical environment is critical for realizing the fast and high-yield synthesis.