The possible role of metal carbonyl clusters in nanoscience and nanotechnologies

Although a few nanosized metal carbonyl clusters were already obtained in the seventies, these structurally and compositionally well-defined molecules attracted the interest of nanoscientists only as possible precursors of finely dispersed metal particles for heterogeneous catalysis. This review article has the aim to give a brief account of most recent results in the field of high-nuclearity metal carbonyl clusters and their emerging properties. In doing that, a look to related behaviour of ligand-stabilised and ligand-free clusters, including almost mono-dispersed ligand-stabilised metal nanoparticles, is given. At the end, we will deliberately venture in some speculations on the possible contribution of metal carbonyl clusters to some aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnologies. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.