Electrochemistry and electrochemiluminescence of copper metal cluster

•This is first report on the electrochemical redox and electrochemiluminescence behavior of copper cluster.•The redox behavior was originated from the cluster metal core.•The electrochemiluminescence light emissions can be observed under both annihilation and anode-reactant conditions.•There exist a correlation between electrochemiluminescence and photoluminescence (both at 605 nm).•The energy of light emissions approximate to HOMO-LUMO transition of the molecular cluster.

The electrochemistry and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of copper metal cluster were studied in this work. The redox behavior observed was originated from the couples of Cu8+/Cu82 +, Cu8/Cu82 +, Cu8/Cu8+ at the cluster metal core. ECL light emissions were observed under both annihilation and tripropylamine co-reactant conditions and only one excited state was involved in this ECL process and this excited state was also at the metal core. Theoretical investigation found that this excitation corresponds to an electron transfer from the metal core to the ligands. And the energy released from excited sate was approximate to the LUMO → HOMO gap energy of the cluster.

Graphical abstractThe energy released from excited sate was approximate to be the LUMO → HOMO gap energy of the cluster.Download high-res image (81KB)Download full-size image