Thiols as ligands and structural control of nanoclusters

Functionally rich monolayer thiol-protected precision noble metal nanoclusters are an exciting piece of science due to their tunable optoelectronic properties. This chapter will discuss the origin of precision nanoclusters, the role of thiols on their structural control, and the evolution of interesting photophysical, electrochemical, and catalytic properties due to their surface functionalization. The enhanced optical properties resulting from the periodic self-organization of functional nanoclusters via different methods will be covered at the end of this chapter.