Atomically precise metal nanoclusters are an emerging type of nanomaterial which has diverse interfacial metal–ligand coordination motifs that can significantly affect their physicochemical properties and functionalities. Among that, Cu nanoclusters have been gaining continuous increasing research attentions, thanks to the low cost, diversified structures, and superior catalytic performance for various reactions. In this review, we first summarize the recent progress regarding the synthetic methods of atomically precise Cu nanoclusters and the coordination modes between Cu and several typical ligands and then discuss the catalytic applications of these Cu nanoclusters with some explicit examples to explain the atomical-level structure–performance relationship. Finally, the current challenges and future research perspectives with some critical thoughts are elaborated. We hope this review can not only provide a whole picture of the current advances regarding the synthesis and catalytic applications of atomically precise Cu nanoclusters, but also points out some future research visions in this rapidly booming field.

原子精确的金属纳米团簇是一种新兴的纳米材料，它具有多种界面金属-配体配位基序，可以显着影响其物理化学性质和功能。其中，Cu 纳米团簇因其成本低、结构多样化、对各种反应的优异催化性能而受到越来越多的研究关注。在本文中，我们首先总结了原子精确 Cu 纳米团簇的合成方法以及 Cu 与几种典型配体之间的配位模式的最新进展，然后通过一些明确的例子讨论了这些 Cu 纳米团簇的催化应用，以解释原子水平的结构-性能关系。最后，阐述了当前的挑战和未来的研究观点，并提出了一些批判性思考。我们希望这篇综述不仅可以全面了解原子精确 Cu 纳米团簇的合成和催化应用的最新进展，还可以指出这一快速发展领域的一些未来研究前景。