Electron transport through supercrystals of atomically precise gold nanoclusters: a thermal bi-stability effect

-assembled solids reveals the mechanism behind the thermally-induced sharp transition in charge transport through the macroscopic crystal. Specifically, the response to temperature induces the conformational change to the R groups of surface ligands, as revealed by variable temperature X-ray crystallography with atomic resolution. Overall, this approach leads to an atomic-level correlation between the interparticle structure and a bi-stability functionality of self-assembled supercrystals, and the strategy may enable control over such materials with other novel functionalities.