Single‐Site Metal‐Nonmetal Microenvironment Regulation of Copper Nanoclusters with Atomic Precision for X‐Ray Imaging

C Chen Zhu F Fei Li J Jingjing Xia (State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering Jilin University Changchun P.R. China) Z Zhongren Shi (National Key Laboratory of Opto‐Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology Anhui University Hefei Anhui 230601 P.R. China) M Mingshuai Yu W Weinan Dong (State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, JLU Region, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China) S Siqi Li Z Zhijia Hu (State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University) Z Zhennan Wu (State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, JLU Region, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China) X Xi Kang (Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials) M Manzhou Zhu (Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials)

Abstract

Abstract The intramolecular microenvironment regulation in metal nanoclusters has typically occurred with the same attribute factors—like metal‐to‐metal or ligand‐to‐ligand control—while the regulation with different‐attribute factors, e.g., from metal to nonmetal, remains challenging, not to mention the different‐attribute microenvironment regulation at the single‐site level. Herein, we report the single‐site metal‐nonmetal microenvironment regulation of copper nanoclusters based on structurally comparable Cu 10 and Cu 11 nanoclusters with the same skeleton but different vacancy‐filling elements. The quantum‐size effects endow Cu 10 and Cu 11 with distinctly different photophysical properties in terms of their photoluminescence and radioluminescence. Such differences have been rationalized by exploiting the femtosecond transient absorption analysis, demonstrating that the slower non‐radiative decay rate and weaker electron‐phonon coupling contribute to the superior emission characteristics of the Cu 11 cluster. Accordingly, the Cu 11 ‐based film demonstrated effective X‐ray imaging capabilities, marking the first application of cluster‐based nanomaterials for X‐ray imaging in the infrared region. This research highlights the potential for regulating different‐attribute microenvironments in metal nanoclusters and provides an atomic‐level understanding of how to modulate the photophysical properties of cluster‐based nanomaterials.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 64, Issue 38
Published September 15, 2025
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (11)

C

Chen Zhu

F

Fei Li

J

Jingjing Xia

State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering Jilin University Changchun P.R. China

Z

Zhongren Shi

National Key Laboratory of Opto‐Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology Anhui University Hefei Anhui 230601 P.R. China

M

Mingshuai Yu

W

Weinan Dong

State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, JLU Region, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China

S

Siqi Li

Z

Zhijia Hu

State Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Protection Technology, School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Opto-Electronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education, Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University

Z

Zhennan Wu

State Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics, JLU Region, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012, P. R. China

X

Xi Kang

Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials

M

Manzhou Zhu

Department of Chemistry and Centre for Atomic Engineering of Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials of Ministry of Education, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chemistry for inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials