Optical properties of gold nanoclusters constructed from Au13 units

Abstract Atomically precise gold nanoclusters with diameters of 1–3 nm have attracted considerable research interests in the past decade because they fill the gap between small organic‐metal complexes (<1 nm) and metal nanoparticles (>3 nm). Au 13 nanocluster with icosahedral structure is a ubiquitous unit widely applied in nanocluster assembly. In this minireview, we introduce the optical properties of gold nanoclusters constructed from Au 13 units. We first discuss the optical absorption and photoluminescence of Au 13 , Au 25 , Au 37 , and Au 60 clusters. We then discuss the ultrafast dynamics, the detailed excited‐state deactivation processes, and the origin of coherent oscillations of the Au 13 homologous clusters. Finally, we provide our outlook on the future direction on this topic.