Journal Article

Diverse Superatomic Magnetic and Spin Properties of Au144(SC8H9)60 Clusters

Foxley, Juniper, Knappenberger, Kenneth L., Tofanelli, Marcus, Knappenberger, Jane A., Ackerson, Christopher J.

2025

Overview

Au144(SC8H9)60, a colloidal cluster with a 1.7 nm inorganic diameter, exhibits both metallic and molecular-like behavior, along with a distribution of unfilled superatom states. Its 1.7–2.5 eV electronic transitions were probed with variable-temperature, variable-field magnetic circular dichroism (VTV H ⇀ -MCD), revealing two energy regions with distinct responses. Below 2.0 eV, MCD transitions exhibited diverse VTV H ⇀ responses, including both paramagnetic and diamagnetic behavior, implicating multiple nondegenerate initial states originating within the open-shell superatom S, D, and H HOMO manifold. Above 2.0 eV, uniform field-dependent responses suggested spin-vibronic coupling due to metal–ligand mixing. The Au144(SC8H9)60 magneto-optical response is surprisingly complex given the system’s high electronic-state density; discrete structural domains of the cluster, including the superatomic metal core, likely contribute to this diversity. These results show the potential to investigate and tailor the magneto-optical and spin properties of these clusters through structurally precise synthesis and also identify superatomic colloids as candidates for advancing spin-based technologies.

• Publisher: American Chemical Society