Asymmetrically anchoring silver alkynyl cluster to the cobalt-containing polyoxometalate

Comparing to the conventional polyoxometalate (POM)-templated silver (Ag) clusters, asymmetrically covered POM-templated Ag clusters have been rarely reported. In this work, a new Ag cluster, H[Co(SiW11O39)Co4(OH)3(NO3)2(SiW9O34)@Ag37(tBuCC)23(NO3)2(DMF)3] (Ag37Co5), has been successfully prepared using a facile solvothermal approach. Such a unique asymmetrical architecture is ascribed to the uneven charge distribution of the in situ generated [Co(SiW11O39)]6− and [Co4(OH)3(NO3)2(SiW9O34)]7− moieties, leading to the asymmetrical coverage of alkynyl-protected Ag shell. Various physicochemical and catalytic studies revealed that the resulting solid-state Ag37Co5 crystals exhibited interesting temperature-dependent photoluminescence property, efficient and recyclable photothermal conversion ability, and good catalytic activity towards the detoxication of 4-nitrophenol.