On 17 October 2024, in response to the invitation from School of Science, Tianjin University, Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits of the Ministry of Education, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Photovoltaic Science, and SmartMat Editorial Office, Prof. Jianping Xie, National University of Singapore, and Prof. Katsuaki Konishi, Hokkaido University visited Tianjin University and addessed lectures in the conference room, Teaching Building 3, Tianjin University. Prof. Xie talked about total synthesis of metal nanoclusters, while Prof. Konishi focused on the development frontiers of metal nanoclusters in the last decade.

       Metal nanoclusters have well-defined molecular formulae and unique molecule-like physicochemical properties (e.g. HOMO-LUMO conversion, strong luminescence, and stereochemical activity), which have potential applications in a number of practical fields, such as biomedicine, energy, and catalysis. Prof Xie proposed metal nanoclusters as a promising optical material and presented the total synthetic design of metal nanoclusters in terms of how the key intermediates are identified, what are the step-by-step reactions along the synthetic route of the target metal nanoclusters, and how to accurately control the synthesis and structure of the metal nanoclusters at the atomic level, etc. Prof Konoshi focused on phosphine ligand-protected Au nanoclusters, demonstrating their structural diversity, unique optical/electronic properties, and unexpected non-covalent cluster-nucleus interactions. Meanwhile, Prof Konishi also introduced the self-organisation and cross-linking of nanoclusters and their resulting crystalline-induced emission enhancement (CIEE) effect.

       At the end of the lecture, Prof Yao Qiaofeng, on behalf of the School of Science of Tianjin University, Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuits of the Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Science of Tianjin, and the editorial department of SmartMat, expressed his thanks to Prof Xie and Prof Konishi again.