DNA Stabilizes Eight-Electron Superatom Silver Nanoclusters with Broadband Downconversion and Microsecond-Lived Luminescence

DNA oligomers are known to serve as stabilizing ligands for silver nanodusters (Ag-N-DNAs) with rod-like nanoduster geometries and nanosecond-lived fluorescence. Here, we report two Ag-N-DNAs that possess distinctly different structural properties and are the first to exhibit only microsecond-lived luminescence. These emitters are characterized by significant broadband downconversion from the ultraviolet/visible to the near-infrared region. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the structures of these two Ag-N-DNAs differ significantly from previously reported Ag-N-DNAs. We find that these nanoclusters contain eight valence electrons, making them the first reported DNA-stabilized luminescent quasi-spherical superatoms. This work demonstrates the important role that nanoduster composition and geometry play in dictating luminescence properties of Ag-N-DNAs and significantly expands the space of structure-property relations that can be achieved for Ag-N-DNAs.

Automated summary

This study reports two different types of silver nanodusters with distinct structural properties, which exhibit different luminescence lifetimes and wavelengths. These are the first DNA-stabilized quasi-spherical superatoms observed, expanding the possibilities for structure-property relations of Ag-N-DNAs.