External-field regulated superatoms

Abstract

As a special class of stable atomic clusters, the superatom has become an exciting research topic in recent decades. They can mimic the chemistry and physics of individual atoms in the periodic table and find potential applications in a variety of fields. Traditional strategies for superatom design, however, have their own limitations. Herein, we review recent progress in the discovery of novel methodologies for superatom design, namely external-field regulated strategies (EFRS). We begin with a description of the basic concept of the superatom and the conventional electron-counting rules for superatom design, followed by a discussion of recent exploration about external-field regulated superatoms, where the oriented external electric field (OEEF), the ligand field, and the solvent field are presented. In the concluding section, we discuss the benefits and challenges of the EFRS together with some future research topics.