γ-Radiolysis as a highly efficient green approach to the synthesis of metal nanoclusters: A review of mechanisms and applications.

Highlights • Impressive advantages of the γ-radiosynthesis of metal nanoclusters (MNCs) over the conventional methods are presented. • Experimental parameters for the γ-radiosynthesis of highly pure and fully reduced MNCs are discussed. • The available γ-radiosynthesized MNCs reports have been extensively reviewed. • Applications of γ-radiosynthesized MNCs in various technological fields are evaluated. • The synergistic effect between γ-radiosynthesized MNCs and supporting materials are stated. Abstract Over the past two decades, the radiosynthesis of metallic nanoclusters (MNCs) using γ-irradiation (γ-radiosynthesis) has presented a wealth of opportunities for the application of nanomaterials in areas such as medicine, energy, catalysis, and sensors. Unlike conventional methods, this technique provides fully reduced and highly stable MNCs that are free from by-products or impurities. γ-Radiosynthesis has thus proven to be a clean and green approach for bulk fabrication of MNCs with tunable particle sizes and morphologies. More recently, the in-situ decoration of MNCs on support materials using γ-irradiation has attracted much attention due to the synergistic effect between MNCs and the underlying support. In this review, we discuss the current state of research into the mechanisms underlying the γ-radiosynthesis of supported and unsupported mono- and bi-metallic nanoclusters and summarize the use of MNCs in catalysis, sensing, biomedicine, and energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]