Luminescence of Au(I)-thiolate complex affected by solvent

This work presents a study on the correlation between luminescence property of Au(I)-SR (SR: thiolate) complexes and solvent polarity. Luminescent [Au15(SR)14-16]+ complexes were synthesized in the weakly polar solvent of toluene, while the non-luminescent [Au7(SR)6]+ species were obtained by the same synthesis method in the polar solvent of ethanol. The dependence of luminescence intensity on the mixed solvent with various toluene/ethanol ratios was also explored. It is proposed that the luminescence of Au(I)-SR complexes originates from the aggregation of the bilayer supramolecular structures induced by the weakly polar solvent. This aggregation strengthens the intra and intercomplex aurophilic Au(I)···Au(I) interactions and subsequently enhances the luminescence intensity of the complexes.