Intriguing Studies of New Cluster-Assembled Materials

The ever-increased diversity and the depth of the understanding toward Cluster-Assembled Materials (CAMs), which may become the primary material type in the new era, bring us a never-ending appreciation and fascination. This work discusses some intriguing studies of three types of CAMs, ranging from the gas- phase study of the proposed dodecahedral metallocarbohedrene (Met-Cars), to the crystalline octahedral Zr6-oxide clusters, and to the icosahedral Au13-Monolayer Protected Clusters (MPC) in solutions. The soft-landed deposits of zirconium Met-Cars were found to form a face-centered-cubic structure via TEM. The single crystalline Zr- oxide cluster was isolated and tentatively identified by X- ray diffraction to be [Zr6iO(OH)12O6].2[N(Bu)4]. As for Au-MPCs, clusters [Au11-13(depp)4Cl2-4]+ were found to be all predominant while they spontaneously grow into a monomial tridecagold clusters series. As few as just three structural symmetries associated with them, do the related chemistry and physics have manifested the beauty of CAMS. This work could be used to get a glimpse of CAMS in general as well as in-depth reviews of related topics.