The atomic path for constructing single-helical superstructure of AuCu bimetallic nanoclusters

Single-helical or double-helical structures are common in living organisms.Helical assembly has been found in the artificial nanoparticles,but how they do so remains poorly understood.Here,we exploit atomically precise Au_(6)Cu_(6)bimetallic nanoparticles(or called nanoclusters)as building blocks to construct a single-helical Au_(12)Cu_(12)superstructure in an operative path,thereby providing access to currently elusive mechanistic pathways.We propose that the thermodynamically viable linearto-bent process at a couple of Au_(6)Cu_(6)nanoclusters imparted by the organic ligands seems to be critical for the helical-nanostructured arrangement of Au_(12)Cu_(12).This study could help to offer a new design rule for the exquisitely helical structure assembled from the artificial nanoparticles.