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1. Structure and luminescence of DNA-templated silver clusters

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NA01005G  

   Gonzàlez-Rosell, Anna; Cerretani, Cecilia; Mastracco, Peter; Vosch, Tom; Copp, Stacy M. (March 2021, Nanoscale Advances)

   null (Ed.)

   DNA serves as a versatile template for few-atom silver clusters and their organized self-assembly. These clusters possess unique structural and photophysical properties that are programmed into the DNA template sequence, resulting in a rich palette of fluorophores which hold promise as chemical and biomolecular sensors, biolabels, and nanophotonic elements. Here, we review recent advances in the fundamental understanding of DNA-templated silver clusters (Ag N -DNAs), including the role played by the silver-mediated DNA complexes which are synthetic precursors to Ag N -DNAs, structure–property relations of Ag N -DNAs, and the excited state dynamics leading to fluorescence in these clusters. We also summarize the current understanding of how DNA sequence selects the properties of Ag N -DNAs and how sequence can be harnessed for informed design and for ordered multi-cluster assembly. To catalyze future research, we end with a discussion of several opportunities and challenges, both fundamental and applied, for the Ag N -DNA research community. A comprehensive fundamental understanding of this class of metal cluster fluorophores can provide the basis for rational design and for advancement of their applications in fluorescence-based sensing, biosciences, nanophotonics, and catalysis. 

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2. Physicochemical implications of surface alkylation of high-valent, Lindqvist-type polyoxovanadate-alkoxide clusters

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR09201K  

   Fertig, Alex A.; Rabbani, S. M.; Koch, Melissa D.; Brennessel, William W.; Miró, Pere; Matson, Ellen M. (April 2021, Nanoscale)

   null (Ed.)

   We report a rare example of the direct alkylation of the surface of a plenary polyoxometalate cluster by leveraging the increased nucleophilicity of vanadium oxide assemblies. Addition of methyl trifluoromethylsulfonate (MeOTf) to the parent polyoxovanadate cluster, [V 6 O 13 (TRIOL R ) 2 ] 2− (TRIOL = tris(hydroxymethyl)methane; R = Me, NO 2 ) results in functionalisation of one or two bridging oxide ligands of the cluster core to generate [V 6 O 12 (OMe)(TRIOL R ) 2 ] 1− and [V 6 O 11 (OMe) 2 (TRIOL R ) 2 ] 2− , respectively. Comparison of the electronic absorption spectra of the functionalised and unfunctionalised derivatives indicates the decreased overall charge of the complex results in a decrease in the energy required for ligand to metal charge transfer events to occur, while simultaneously mitigating the inductive effects imposed by the capping TRIOL ligand. Electrochemical analysis of the family of organofunctionalised polyoxovanadate clusters reveals the relationship of ligand environment and the redox properties of the cluster core: increased organofunctionalisation of the surface of the vanadium oxide assembly translates to anodic shifts in the reduction events of the Lindqvist ion. Overall, this work provides insight into the electronic effects induced upon atomically precise modifications to the surface structure of nanoscopic, redox-active metal oxide assemblies. 

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3. Isoreticular Tolerance and Phase Selection in the Synthesis of Multi‐Module Metal–Organic Frameworks for Gas Separation and Electrocatalytic OER

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202422635  

   Xiao, Yuchen; Bu, Xianhui; Feng, Pingyun (January 2025, Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

   Abstract Although metal–organic frameworks are coordination‐driven assemblies, the structural prediction and design using metal‐ligand interactions can be unreliable due to other competing interactions. Leveraging non‐coordination interactions to develop porous assemblies could enable new materials and applications. Here, we use a multi‐module MOF system to explore important and pervasive impact of ligand‐ligand interactions on metal‐ligand as well as ligand‐ligand co‐assembly process. It is found that ligand‐ligand interactions play critical roles on the scope or breakdown of isoreticular chemistry. With cooperative di‐ and tri‐topic ligands, a family of Ni‐MOFs has been synthesized in various structure types including partitioned MIL‐88‐acs (pacs), interruptedpacs(i‐pacs), and UMCM‐1‐muo. A new type of isoreticular chemistry on the muo platform is established between two drastically different chemical systems. The gas sorption and electrocatalytic studies were performed that reveal excellent performance such as high C₂H₂/CO₂selectivity of 21.8 and high C₂H₂uptake capacity of 114.5 cm³/g at 298 K and 1 bar. 

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4. Synthesis and Characterization of Dye-Doped Au@SiO ₂ Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

   https://doi.org/10.1177/00037028221121357  

   Thompson, Shelby; Jorns, Mychele; Pappas, Dimitri (October 2022, Applied Spectroscopy)

   Dye-doped nanoparticles have been investigated as bright, fluorescent probes for localization-based super-resolution microscopy. Nanoparticle size is important in super-resolution microscopy to get an accurate size of the object of interest from image analysis. Due to their self-blinking behavior and metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF), Ag@SiO₂and Au@Ag@SiO₂nanoparticles have shown promise as probes for localization-based super-resolution microscopy. Here, several noble metal-based dye-doped core-shell nanoparticles have been investigated as self-blinking nanomaterial probes. It was observed that both the gold- and silver-plated nanoparticle cores exhibit weak luminescence under certain conditions due to the surface plasmon resonance bands produced by each metal, and the gold cores exhibit blinking behavior which enhances the blinking and fluorescence of the dye-doped nanoparticle. However, the silver-plated nanoparticle cores, while weakly luminescent, did not exhibit any blinking; the dye-doped nanoparticle exhibited the same behavior as the core fluorescent, but did not blink. Because of the blinking behavior, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) super-resolution analysis was able to be performed with performed on the gold core nanoparticles. A preliminary study on the use of these nanoparticles for localization-based super-resolution showed that these nanoparticles are suitable for use in STORM super resolution. Resolution enhancement was two times better than the diffraction limited images, with core sizes reduced to 15 nm using the hybrid Au–Ag cores. 

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5. Spectroscopic Study on Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm in the Presence of the Aptamer-DNA Scaffolded Silver Nanoclusters

   https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25163631  

   Sengupta, Bidisha; Adhikari, Prakash; Mallet, Esther; Havner, Ronald; and Pradhan, Prabhakar (August 2020, Molecules)

   null (Ed.)

   We report the effectiveness of silver nanocluster (Ag-NC) against the biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). Two DNA aptamers specific for PA and part of their sequences were chosen as templates for growing the Ag-NC. While circular dichroism (CD) studies determined the presence of secondary structures, UV/Vis absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopic studies confirmed the formation of the fluorescent Ag-NC on the DNA templates. Furthermore, mesoscopic physics-based partial wave spectroscopy (PWS) was used to analyze the backscattered light signal that can detect the degree of nanoscale mass density/refractive index fluctuations to identify the biofilm formation, comparatively among the different aptamers with respect to the control sample. The importance of the secondary structure of the aptamer DNA in targeting, successfully binding with the cells and delivering the Ag-NC, is evidenced by the decrease in disorder strength (Ld) of the Ag-NC treated samples compared to the untreated PA cells, which showed the abundance of higher Ld in the PWS studies. The higher Ld value attributed to the higher mass density fluctuations and the formation of biofilm. We envision this study to open a new avenue in using a powerful optical microscopic technique like PWS in detection, and DNA aptamer enclosed silver nanoclusters to prevent biofilms for opportunist pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 

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