Photoluminescence Modulation of Cation-Induced Gold(I)-Thiolate Aggregates

The charge transfer is pivotal to modulating the emitting states of gold-based nanomaterials, especially for Au(I)-thiolates. However, the principles often focus on aurophilic interactions, whereas diversifying the charge transfer pathways may alternatively expand photoluminescence (PL) properties. Here, we report a modulation strategy based on the nature of the electron distribution alongside the metal–ligand interfaces for cation-induced Au(I)-thiolate aggregates. The PL of the aggregates exhibits various emitting states when Zn cations coordinate with different sites, on either ring or chain configurations of Au(I)-thiolates. Orange or yellow emissions may arise from the promoted aurophilic interactions due to Zn-carboxylate or Zn–S coordination, respectively. The yellow emission further converts to a bright blue emission, which is dominated by additional Zn–S aggregating states. This study may advance the understanding of the charge transfer of Au(I)-thiolates in the aggregating states, which provides a potential strategy for designing PL properties of Au(I)-thiolate aggregates.