Modulating Catalytic Activity and Stability of Atomically Precise Gold Nanoclusters as Peroxidase Mimics via Ligand Engineering.

Metal nanoclusters (NCs), composed of a metal core and protecting ligands, show promising potentials as enzyme mimics for producing fuels, pharmaceuticals, and valuable chemicals, etc. Herein, we explore the critical role of ligands in modulating the peroxidase mimic activity and stability of Au NCs. A series of Au ₁₅ (SR) ₁₃ NCs with various thiolate ligands [SR = N -acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), or 3-mercapto-2-methylpropanoic acid (MMPA)] are utilized as model catalysts. It is found that Au ₁₅ (NAC) ₁₃ shows higher structural stability than Au ₁₅ (MMPA) ₁₃ and Au ₁₅ (MPA) ₁₃ against external stimuli (e.g., pH, oxidants, and temperature) because of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds. More importantly, detailed enzymatic kinetics data show that the catalytic activity of Au ₁₅ (NAC) ₁₃ is about 4.3 and 2.7 times higher than the catalytic activity of Au ₁₅ (MMPA) ₁₃ and Au ₁₅ (MPA) ₁₃ , respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the Au atoms on the motif of Au NCs should be the active centers, whereas the superior peroxidase mimic activity of Au ₁₅ (NAC) ₁₃ should originate from the emptier orbitals of Au atoms because of the electron-withdrawing effect of acetyl amino group in NAC. This work demonstrates the ligand-engineered electronic structure and functionality of atomically precise metal NCs, which afford molecular and atomic level insights for artificial enzyme design.