Neat and complete: Thiolate-ligand exchange on a silver molecular nanoparticle

Atomically precise thiolate-protected noble metal molecular nanoparticles are a promising class of model nanomaterials for catalysis, optoelectronics, and the bottom-up assembly of true molecular crystals. However, these applications have not fully materialized due to a lack of ligand exchange strategies that add functionality, but preserve the properties of these remarkable particles. Here we present a method for the rapid (<30 s) and complete thiolate-for-thiolate exchange of the highly sought after silver molecular nanoparticle [Ag44(SR)30]-4. Only by using this method were we able to preserve the precise nature of the particles and simultaneously replace the native ligands with ligands containing a variety of functional groups. Crucially, as a result of our method we were able to process the particles into smooth thin films, paving the way for their integration into solution-processed devices.