The possible role of metal carbonyl clusters in nanoscience and nanotechnologies

Although a few nanosized metal carbonyl clusters were already obtained in the seventies, these structurally and compositionally well-defined molecules attracted the interest of nanoscientists only as possible precursors of finely dispersed metal particles for heterogeneous catalysis. This review article has the aim to give a brief account of most recent results in the field of high-nuclearity metal carbonyl clusters and their emerging properties. In doing that, a look to related behaviour of ligand-stabilised and ligand-free clusters, including almost mono-dispersed ligand-stabilised metal nanoparticles, is given. At the end, we will deliberately venture in some speculations on the possible contribution of metal carbonyl clusters to some aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnologies.