Co-crystallization induced emission in Ag-Au bimetal nanocluster

Abstract In this work, for the first time we report the co-crystallization induced emission phenomenon in the co-crystallization of two atomically precise and different size nanlclusters, a fusiform Ag26Au(2-EBT)18(PPh3)6 and a spherical Ag24Au(2-EBT)18 (2-EBT=2-Ethylbenzenethiol), characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A plausible explanation for this interesting phenomenon is that noncovalent interactions (such as π···π and C-H···π interactions) in crystalline state of nanoclusters significantly restrict the intra- and inter-molecular vibrations and thus result in considerably enhance the radiative transitions in the crystalline state.